Lardo di Colonnata, Caramel Pickled Plums

Lardo di Colonnata comes from the town of Colonnata in Tuscany and is made by curing the back fat of local pigs in salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic. It is fantastic. Don’t be put off by the pure white fat: make sure it is room temperature and slice it thinly, and it will literally melt in the mouth when it hits your tongue. This makes more plums than you need, but they keep well and are excellent with salty blue cheese.