This past weekend, I satisfied a very strong food craving: a BLT. I am not sure when the craving started, but I know it lasted weeks, perhaps because I rarely eat bacon. Not that I have anything against bacon, mind you. Mmm, salty crunchy goodness. But, you know, health reasons, so I don't usually have it in the house. I may rethink that, though—a bit of bacon in the freezer for when a craving strikes or there is enough time to make a tasty breakfast is far from a sin. I digress.
I wanted bacon, and I wanted it in the form of a fresh, crunchy, creamy (mayo) BLT. I thought my prayers were answered when I found a local bakery offering up a rendition on toasted brioche, but I was disappointed by the order. They charged $5+ for a sandwich that was hardly wider than a single strip of bacon. Hardly any lettuce, and it was iceberg (useless!), barely any bacon, and zero crunch, and a tasteless probably beefsteak tomato. The only thing we got right was pairing the sandwich with mineral water. I could do better, I thought, and so I planned my grocery trip to Wegmans.
My first change was the bread—I picked up some fresh croissants from their bakery. Next, the produce—I opted for arugula for some crunch and punch, and I was crazy-lucky to find an heirloom tomato this far out of season. I realize this sandwich will taste even better next June, but I can hardly wait as long as I already have, so imported heirloom was as good as I was going to get. Finally, the bacon—we went with Uncured Applewood Smoked. I probably would have gone organic, but I couldn't find it, so I opted to trust Wegmans's "Food You Feel Good About" classification.
Back at home, there were just a few things I needed to do to get the sandwich just right. First, I lightly buttered and toasted the croissants—tricky as croissants are so airy inside, but with the effort. Second, I used a good-quality jarred mayo. I bet you could take the sandwich that much further with homemade mayo. Maybe next time. This time, I used Spectrum Naturals Organic.
Finally, to the good part. I cooked my bacon in a cold oven, as recommended by Danilo Alfaro, the Culinary Arts expert at About.com—easy, I can walk away and not worry about grease spattering about, and I collect the bacon grease for later use. I built my sandwich with arugula first and last, mayo on top, and bacon and tomato inside. My husband even sprinkled the tomato with a bit of Maldon sea salt. He opted for some Maille dijon mustard, but I avoided it on purpose. The scene was set, the water was poured, lemon sliced, and my sandwich was ready.
Bliss.
Craving-Crushing BLTIngredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 croissants
- butter
- 1 heirloom tomato
- arugula
- mayonaisse
InstructionsLine a baking sheet with foil. Arrange bacon slices on sheet, place in cold oven, and preheat to 400°. Close the oven door and walk away. Set timer for 17-25 minutes (mine took 22 minutes to get to my preferred amount of crispness).While bacon is cooking, preheat a skillet. Half croissants lengthwise and lightly butter. Toast in skillet for a minute or two until you reach your desired level of toastiness.Spread mayo (and mustard, if you must) on one half of each croissant.Slice tomatoes into quarter- to half-inch thick slices. Have arugula on stand-by.When bacon is done, remove from pan and place on paper-towel-lined plate to dry while assembling sandwich.My order: arugula, tomato, bacon, more arugula, top of croissant with mayo. Put stuff on croissant to your liking and consume with relish.DetailsPrep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 2 sandwiches
