BL-Tastic
July 6, 2011
When I was a kid, my parents took me out to a fancy restaurant for lunch, and all I wanted was a BLT. Oh, to preface this story, I had just lost TWO teeth a few days before. Both my ma, and my dad were trying to talk me out of it, because toast is hard, and probably not a good idea for my recently hole-filled mouth. But no, I wouldn’t budge. I.wanted.a.BLT. Even the waitress tried offering me macaroni and cheese. Lady, didn’t you hear me? I said BLT.
Ok, fine, BLT it is. Well, ten minutes later, out comes my BLT. I was so excited until I realized… ouch. Dammit. This really hurts! I think I may have cried, because I was sad about having lost my teeth, fearing that “big-girl” teeth would never grow in, and on top of it all: I couldn’t eat this delicious sandwich.
Childhood is rough.
(For the record, my big-girl teeth grew in just fine thanks. And then were covered with braces for two years… and then five years after that, they moved back to their original position anyway. Can my parents get their $2,000 back now?)
The possibilities of a BLT are endless:
-What kind of bacon?
-What kind of lettuce?
-What kind of tomato?
-Mayo or other sauce?
-What type of bread??
But PLEASE don’t make a BLT, fill it with other crap, and still call it a “BLT.”
Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato (Mayo and bread are assumed.). That’s it! Simple ingredients, tweak them, and make a fantastic sandwich.
I did something a little… different… with my bacon. I soaked it in whiskey, sprinkled it with brown sugar, and baked it.
Note: this is not an every day sandwich. It has BACON, WHISKEY, and MAYO in it. It’s highly caloric. So feel free to share half of it with a friend, or if you must eat it by yourself, do some extra sit-ups that night.
Let’s start with the bacon:
Believe it or not, there is an art to making a truly GREAT sandwich. A sandwich that contains it’s ingredients and doesn’t slip ‘n slide everywhere, and in every bite, gives the diner a piece of each ingredient so that all of the flavors come together. So this is how I, build the perfect BLT:
1.) I use tomatoes that have never been refrigerated… ever! And I slice them paper-thin. (You can use either a mandoline slicer, or a very sharp knife.)
2.) I use crunchy, COLD, iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has been given the cold shoulder (pun!) by a lot of foodies. What do they know? It’s crisp, crunchy, and perfect for sandwiches. Save that wilted stuff for some other fancy pants salad.
3.) I don’t mess with the mayo too much. I use a quality mayo (or a homemade one) and add lime juice, and black pepper; some acidity, and some bite!
So to recap: Smoky, tang, zip, bite, crunch and sweet. No, that’s not comic book onomatopoeia; those are the sounds of a perfect BLT.
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November 13, 2011 at 7:40 am
November 15, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Your story reminds me of when I had my tonsils out as a young adult….
One day after the surgery and I was RAVENOUS… and all I wanted was a sloppy joe with crispy tater tots. My mom warned me… she tried to change my mind…
Well, you know how that story goes, right?
November 18, 2011 at 9:40 am
November 30, 2011 at 4:40 pm
my hat is off to your bacon-craft. i’ll keep checking in for more food brilliance…bravo!!!
January 13, 2012 at 6:36 am