The Initial Entry Of A New Series
The KAC BLT | Herb-Seared Tomatoes, Smoked Bacon, Cider Mayo, Iceburg & Boston Lettuces, on Whole Grain Toast
I SOMEWHAT PRIDE MYSELF ON culinary creativity, but I've been often-if not more often—asked on my twist or more common and traditional dishes. And although I've most probably have featured my variations on some popular "comfort foods" in previous posts, I am officially beginning my PHUDE KAC Series with my most recent take on the simple BLT.
Earlier in my food "career", some of my dishes suffered from a lack of editing, being overcomplicated by an abundance of unnecessary peripheral ingredients. I have since learned to not not only stay true to a meal's core components, but I've also learned to employ some simple tweaks in preparation to better serve the "heart and soul" of these courses.
Presented here is my new standard version of a BLT, where the B, L, and T are still the stars of this sandwich. The bacon I prefer to use is a simple smoked one—when is smoked pork ever not a good thing—without the sometimes flavor-killing additives of extra salt or maple syrup. Lettuce is such a general term that, here, I use two different types, iceburg, for its palate-drenching crisp, and Boston for its slightly more bitter and verdant properties.
I incorporate a few tablespoons of cider vinegar into some mayo, re-thickening it with a touch of sour cream. Finally, I coat slices of plump red tomatoes in olive oil, salt, cracked pepper, rosemary, and tarragon, and sear them for about 3 minutes on both sides over medium-high heat, pressing down on them with a metal spatula, almost confit-ing them in their own natural juices and tenderizing the flesh into a firm and intensely-flavored pulp.
Those seared tomato slices come off the heat and get layered on top of a toasted slice of whole grain bread, smeared with the cider mayo and garnished with the lettuces (better yet if kept in the freezer for about 15 minutes before prep), all while the smoked bacon is getting a good sizzling in another pan.
Once the bacon is medium well to well, I set the strips on paper towels for a couple of minutes (the towels absorb and residual steam moisture and makes the bacon extra crispy), then place several slices on top of the slightly cooled tomatoes, and finish with the second whole grain toast, also smeared with the cider vinegar, and cut in half.
Taste-wise, the sandwich boasts porky, salty, fatty, sweet, savory, bitter, acidic notes that excite pretty much every type of taste bud on the tongue, with the added bonus of some wonderful aromatics coming off the back of the mouth and up through the nose. Texture-wise, the sandwich boasts smooth, creamy, fleshy, crunchy, crispy, wet, dry, grainy, toasty, which delights every other part of the mouth, like the teeth and gums, and tongue as well. Add to all that as well the sizzling bacon, hot tomatoes, warm tomatoes, cool cider mayo, and ice cold lettuce, and you've got a sandwich that hits on every level.
A simple and easy place to start as any for my new KAC Series, and I'm sure some recipes might change a little as I continue to evolve as a cook. And as I don't usually ever cook from recipes—and never verbatim—hopefully you'll use these recipe ideas not as a "how-to", but as a "how-can-I?", inspiring you not to recreate my dishes, but create a series of wonderful and tasty dishes of your very own!
Bun Apple Tea!
.kac.
The KAC BLT | Herb-Seared Tomatoes, Smoked Bacon, Cider Mayo, Iceburg & Boston Lettuces, on Whole Grain Toast
