BLTs

Today, in celebration of summer, farm workers, and the land of milk and honey, I will eat nothing but BLTs.

The BLT is my favorite sandwich of all times. As a child, I mastered the art of the BLT. My family, loving as they are, took advantage of my youth and got me to make them thousands of BLTs. "Carrie," they'd say sweetly, "You make the BEST BLTs." And I, obliging youngster flattered by their praise, would promptly march to the fridge and begin the long process of constructing a towering, tasty treat. My Dad and my second oldest sister used that line the most -- and it worked for a long, long time -- until Beth ruined it for everyone by telling me one day that "I made the best glasses of water." The jig was up. I stopped falling for flattery and made my BLTs only for myself.

Years later my father confided that they did indeed flatter me into making them sandwiches, but that did not change the truth: I made the best BLTs.

Here are my tips for making "the best BLTs":

1. Use only red, vine-ripened, flavorful tomatoes. The tomato is the key to the entire flavor of the sandwich. This means you can only eat BLTs in mid-to-late summer, when your garden or farmer's market is overflowing with tomatoes. Anything less will result in a sub-par sandwich.
2. Use a lot of tomatoes. Slice those bad boys at least 3/8 of an inch thick and make sure you cover the entire bread. Cut the slices in half to fill in the corners if you need to. Every bite should be full of juicy, sweet tomato.
3. Avoid iceberg lettuce. You should avoid iceberg anyway, but especially in a BLT. I prefer romaine for its crunch and ability to stand up to the other flavors. Red or green leaf is fine, but it makes for a girlier sandwich.
4. This might go without saying, but don't scrimp on the bacon and make sure it's got some crisp. It doesn't need to be falling apart burned, but you don't want limp, flaccid bacon. Three to four strips should be plenty, depending on their thickness and how much fat they lose. I prefer Nieman Ranch bacon. They raise happy pigs. And happy pigs make for happy bacon.
5. I am a sucker for white bread. A good, heavy white sandwich bread is my favorite, however, in this era of whole grains and heart disease and what not, I usually use wheat. It breaks my heart a little, but the sandwich is still good.
6. Toast the bread. 'Nuff said.
7. Hellman's (Best Foods) mayo ONLY. All other mayonnaise is sub-par and will ruin your sandwich. Ruin. Forever. Don't do it.

Is it any wonder my family tried so hard to get me to make them sandwiches?

So, for breakfast today, I had an open-faced BLET. That's a bacon, lettuce, egg, and tomato sandwich. I got the tomatoes and lettuce yesterday from the farmer's market. Oh, heaven in a piece of food. Nieman ranch bacon. And a light wheat, thick sliced bread from TJ's. It was the best BLET.



Lunch was sublime. Truly.



BLTs don't have to be sandwiches, you know. The homemade ranch-like dressing was my nod to mayo. I skipped the bread though. Crutons would have been a welcome addition, but I didn't plan well enough ahead. And it's Labor Day, so nothing is open. And if something is open, it shouldn't be. It's freakin' Labor Day!