We’ve played with BLTs on the blog before, but we’ve never done a classic (almost) BLT.

There are 5 components to a BLT:  1. tomatoes; 2. bacon; 3. mayonnaise; 4. Lettuce; and 5. bread.  The first three are the keys to superior BLTs.

1.  Thick Slices of Ripe Tomatoes

We got our tomato from our garden.  We were very patient and waited till it was perfectly ripe to pick it.  It was our inspiration.   To prepare the tomato, simply cut out the core, cut off either end a 1/4 inch in, and slice very thick slices from the rest of the tomato.   Add a little salt to the tomato to make sure its flavor shines through.
2.  Thick Sliced Bacon (you will never feel the same about wimpy, thin bacon ever again)
Cook the bacon on low to get it nice and crispy.  It takes a little extra time, but I find crispy bacon is worth the wait.
3.  Mayonnaise, and Plenty of It
To make the mayonnaise, take one egg and combine it in a blender with a teaspoon or two of Dijon mustard and a teaspoon of lemon juice.  Add a little salt and anything else you may want (garlic, anchovies, hot pepper flakes etc.).  Turn on the blender and add a cup of olive oil in a drizzle as the machine blends to let the oil and other ingredients emulsify and get thick.  Taste for seasoning, and add more salt as needed.
4.  Lettuce.  We didn’t really use “L,” or “lettuce” for our BLT, since we didn’t have any.  Instead we substituted shredded cabbage.  It worked well, and provided a nice crunch.
5.  Bread.  Last step was the bread.  I sliced pieces from a baguette at an angle, rubbed them with some garlic, a little olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and grilled them on a grill pan.
The finished product open faced:
And closed:
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