B L(icious) T

BLT's are truly one of life's simple pleasures.  There was a time in my life when I didn't like tomatoes.  I also didn't like mayonnaise.  With these being two major ingredients in a BLT you could place a pretty secure bet I would not like this southern classic.  Well my friend, you would be wrong.  I am not sure how it happens, but when the chewy bacon meets the tangy tomato, cool crisp lettuce, and smooth creamy mayo...OMG.  A little piece of heaven.





Some of my favorite memories of all time are those of family beach trips.  My dad, mom, sister, and I would get up well before dawn and my mom and dad we all would load the car. But before we left, we always put together some BLT's, wrapping them in waxed paper and putting them in the cooler for later.  We would leave, at what seemed at the time, in the middle of the night, however it might have actually been 6 am.  I'm not sure.  The BLT's were supposed to be saved for later in the trip at the normal breakfast hour, but I was doing good if I waited 30 minutes.  Oh holy night, those were the best.

A good friend and her daughter came to lunch at mi casa today and I thought I would pull out that old friend, with a new twist.

The B L(icious) T
I am really bad about throwing things together with out a plan and then not really remembering what I did.  I will try to lay it all out there:

1.  Good crusty bread.
I got some farmhouse bread from Whole Foods.  It is firm and chewy and can stand up to any sandwich, no matter how much you pile on.  Right before building the sandwich, I toast the bread on one side in a skillet with a little olive oil.  This softens the bread on the inside and creates a delicious crispy outer layer.
2.  Oven roasted tomatoes.

I got the idea from this blog.  After I sliced the tomatoes, I LIGHTLY sprinkled them with salt, pepper, sugar, and sage.
3.  Oven roasted bacon.
Can you imagine bacon candy?  If you did and it was gross, then imagine it again.  Because it is
guuu-uud.  I used thick cut applewood smoked bacon.  Line a baking sheet with parchment and then put a cooling rack on that.  Lay the strips of bacon on the rack and roast in the oven at 375 (does anyone know how to make the degree sign?), for about 20 minutes...I think.  Just keep an eye on it.  It should begin to brown and hold its shape.  Then sprinkle the strips with brown sugar.  That's right, I said brown sugar.  Then roast it for another 10 minutes or so.
4.  Romaine Lettuce.
No special tricks here.  Just lettuce.
5. I made the basil mayo that was on the blog above, and it was fantastic, so I highly recommend that.  However at the last minute, I decided to whip up some pimento cheese.  With this you probably won't need the mayo but I say go for it if you want to.
6.  Chipotle Pimento Cheese.

Don't even think about making this sandwich with out this cheese.  I really wanted pimento cheese with my sandwich, but when I looked I had no pimentos.  I had no red peppers.  Nothing.  In my search, I came across a can of chipotle in adobo.  Nah, that won't work I thought to myself.  Or will it?  Oh, yes it did.  Oh did it ever.  I am not sure of the proportions here, but this is the gist.
1/2 cup mayo
4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar is great of course, but I used a cheddar, mozzarella, jack blend)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 TBS grated onion
2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped (These are VERY spicy, so use your judgement.  I think I used
4 or 5.)
Then just stir it all up.