There are few things as simple and as satisfying as a Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich. Warm toast, crisp cold lettuce, tangy tomatoes, salty smoked bacon and creamy mayonnaise. I've been tending to my summertime BLT cravings a fair amount lately and thought the humble sandwich deserved some time of its own here. Last winter the legendary Trad blogger, Longwing, wrote a piece about BLTs that was so good it left me waiting for summer and big plump garden fresh tomatoes. Sadly, Longwing's piece on the BLT is no longer available, but as usual Longwing got me thinking. This simple sandwich often flies under the radar, while other larger and richer fare garners all the press. Therein lies the secret to this sandwich - its simplicity. It calls for five ingredients and only those five - bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and toast. Some recipes suggest variations such as avocado, alfalpha sprouts, brie, green tomatoes, and even one that called for boiled pumpkin. Stay away from this kind of antinomian behavior. Rules are often made with an express purpose and goal in mind, and putting alfalpha sprouts or brie on a BLT will mess things up every time. If I want a salad, I just have one on the side. Nothing wrong with that. Speaking of sides, it's usually something pretty simple like chips, pickles and potato salad. There's some steamed okra here with garlic dressing, too. Anything more really takes away from the sandwich.
These five basic ingredients call for closer attention. We have a butcher nearby who offers his own hardwood smoked bacon. This is very flavorful bacon, and perfect for a BLT. I usually get it fresh, rather than keeping it in the freezer. Why not? The butcher is only ten minutes away.
Tomatoes need to be big, juicy and garden grown, preferably from one's own garden. If not, then the local farm stand is usually a good bet. I'm a fan of green tomatoes pickled or fried, but not green ones on a BLT. For lettuce, I'm partial to plain old iceberg lettuce that's cold and crunchy. I'll use leaf lettuce in a pinch, but it lacks the crunch that I find to appealing in this sandwich. When it comes to toast, I think there are really only two choices: white or whole wheat. Pumpernickel, rye, sourdough, while all fine varieties of bread, are just going to work against the flavor I'm after. For mayonnaise, I'm partial to the old classic Hellmann's ("known west of the Rockies as Best Foods" - as the label reads). Now, here's where Longwing's article was memorable, it's this combination of cold and warm that really makes the BLT a masterpiece of a sandwich. Chilled mayonnaise on warm toast along with crunchy cold lettuce, juicy tomatoes and salty smoked bacon makes for a very complex mix of textures, flavors and even temperatures. It's a delicate but perfect balance of ingredients.
Another card carrying member of the Clean Plate Club. A lot of people were involved in that BLT, and I would like to thank them all. If it takes a proverbial village to raise a child, it takes at least half of the village to make a BLT - the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, and the farm stand.
That clean plate is always a bit of a let down, but we can always go back to the butcher for more bacon, like we did last Friday evening.
A Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich is perfect summertime fare. All it calls for is a little attention to ingredients, some chips, potato salad, perhaps a glass of iced tea, and Bob's your uncle.
These five basic ingredients call for closer attention. We have a butcher nearby who offers his own hardwood smoked bacon. This is very flavorful bacon, and perfect for a BLT. I usually get it fresh, rather than keeping it in the freezer. Why not? The butcher is only ten minutes away.
Tomatoes need to be big, juicy and garden grown, preferably from one's own garden. If not, then the local farm stand is usually a good bet. I'm a fan of green tomatoes pickled or fried, but not green ones on a BLT. For lettuce, I'm partial to plain old iceberg lettuce that's cold and crunchy. I'll use leaf lettuce in a pinch, but it lacks the crunch that I find to appealing in this sandwich. When it comes to toast, I think there are really only two choices: white or whole wheat. Pumpernickel, rye, sourdough, while all fine varieties of bread, are just going to work against the flavor I'm after. For mayonnaise, I'm partial to the old classic Hellmann's ("known west of the Rockies as Best Foods" - as the label reads). Now, here's where Longwing's article was memorable, it's this combination of cold and warm that really makes the BLT a masterpiece of a sandwich. Chilled mayonnaise on warm toast along with crunchy cold lettuce, juicy tomatoes and salty smoked bacon makes for a very complex mix of textures, flavors and even temperatures. It's a delicate but perfect balance of ingredients.
Another card carrying member of the Clean Plate Club. A lot of people were involved in that BLT, and I would like to thank them all. If it takes a proverbial village to raise a child, it takes at least half of the village to make a BLT - the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, and the farm stand.
That clean plate is always a bit of a let down, but we can always go back to the butcher for more bacon, like we did last Friday evening.
A Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich is perfect summertime fare. All it calls for is a little attention to ingredients, some chips, potato salad, perhaps a glass of iced tea, and Bob's your uncle.
If you need a little music to go with it, its hard to go wrong with a little acoustic Grateful Dead, like one of my favorites, 12/6/80 Mill Valley Recreation Center. Betty taped this one (yes, that Betty) with CAD mics on a small stand about 4' from the stage (there was no soundboard). Jack-A-Roe, Cassidy and Bird Song are truly inspired. One of the best acoustic sets of 1980. Perfect music for a summer weekend afternoon that might begin with a BLT, and a chilly refreshing beverage.
Image may be NSFW.
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