The first time I made this sandwich (read below) it was on homemade Cheddar bread. The bread was good. The sandwich- outstanding. I've never posted that Cheddar bread recipe, but earlier this week I made Cheddar-Asiago Potato Bread and I knew it was meant to be. Because this sandwich lacks cheese (almost a crime in my world), the cheesy bits in the bread add the finishing touch. So I suggest you make the two together. A lot of work for a sandwich, but you'll thank me!
The evening we were having these for dinner I texted Dustin on his way home: "We're having the sandwich with the Cheese bread!" He knew exactly which sandwich I meant, and he was ecstatic! I've never met a boy who didn't go crazy for bacon, or anyone who didn't love this meal.
3/19/09: If there were a sandwich hall of fame, this California BLT would be it's first inductee. It is to die for! But let me start at the beginning, because this sandwich has a history. Last summer Dustin and I spent 2 months living in semi-rural Connecticut. (We were in a tiny town northeast of Hartford called Vernon.) Dustin was working excruciatingly long hours 6 days a week, and I was left (as usual) with too much time on my hands. To fight the boredom (I wish I'd been introduced to blogging back then) I took almost daily trips to the town library. It was tiny, but they did have a rather extensive collection of cookbooks. So I checked out armfuls of cookbooks and cooking magazines and spent hours spilling over them. I would mark and later photocopy recipes that caught my eye. (I'm now realizing this might be illegal- you know copyright issues and all? Please, don't sue me.) I copied so many recipes that I still have a binder full of them that I haven't had the chance to try yet. But if one recipe stands out in my mind from that summer it this sandwich.
It comes from one of Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)'s cookbooks (not sure which). This was also the summer of Ina. I had seen her on Food Network before (while living in Utah) but had never felt particularly inspired by her food. That all changed once I was living in New England. As it appears on her show, Ina lives in the Hamptons, which are not all that far from where we spent our short summer. Living in the CT countryside, all of a sudden her recipes came alive. I understood the flavors and mood and inspirations for her dishes. I began frequenting farmers markets and roadside stands to find all the locals' best and ripest produce. And, relating to this sandwich specifically, I discovered beefsteak tomatoes. There is nothing comparable to a perfectly ripe yet firm and luscious beefsteak tomato. Sliced thick with a dash of salt and pepper it could be a meal of it's own.
I had found Ina and I had fallen in love with beefsteaks, and it call came together with this recipe. This "California" BLT (I'd rather call it my CT BLT) dresses up a traditional bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with the addition of avocado. It's so good I've sworn to never eat a BLT without avocado again. I've often made it with cheddar loaf bread, the recipe for which I'll undoubtedly be posting in the near future. Dustin LOVES it and so do I. When making this masterpiece, don't skimp on your slicing. It very specifically calls for thick bread, thick bacon, thick avocado, and thick tomato (even your lettuce needs to be crispy and substantial)! Thank you Ina, for a summer of fond memories and this recipe, which is absolutely unparalleled!
INGREDIENTS
4 slices thick and hearty whole wheat bread OR Cheddar-Asiago Potato Bread
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup real mayonnaise
4 tender lettuce leaves, washed and dried (Romaine or Bibb)
1 ripe Hass avocado
fresh lemon juice
1 large ripe tomato, thickly sliced (Beefsteak are best)
red onion, sliced (optional)
red onion, sliced (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Cook bacon in oven or on stove top until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
2. Place 4 slices of bread on a sheet pan and toast them in a 400 F oven for 5 minutes. Turn them over and toast for 1 more minute, until all the bread is evenly browned.
3. Spread each slice of bread with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Cover half with a layer of lettuce. Then place two slices of bacon on top of the lettuce.
5. Peel the avocados and slice them 1/2 inch thick. Toss the avocado slices with lemon juice. Arrange on top of the bacon.
6. Add a layer of tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining slices of bread (mayo side down) and serve.
Makes 2 sandwiches.
(Adapted from Food Network)
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