The Humble BLT. The quintessential summertime sandwich. Simple, fresh, and a perfect harmony of only a handful of ingredients and flavors. We have all thrown together a quick BLT, but when you put in an extra 5 minutes or so into it, and be extremely selective with your ingredients, the results can be heavenly.
Of course, the first step in crafting a sandwich starts with the most important part: artisan bread. I have done my kicked up version of the BLT many times now, using one of my favorites, The Ciabatta Baguette from Boulart Bakery. When very lightly toasted, this bread is the perfect foundation. A warm soft crumb, and a slightly crisp crust holds everything together. It’s important not to toast this sandwich too much. You want the crust to have a little crispiness, but also a little give to it.
From here I slather the inside of the bread with a very simple spread of lemon and basil mayonnaise. I then layer some nice Boston Bibb lettuce, a savory organic uncured thick-cut bacon, and the ripest tomatoes I can find. I have also used Pancetta in this recipe, which works great as well.
The last step is simply to hinge the top back into place and cut into portions.
The last time I made this, we had 8 hungry beach-going family and friends. I used 2 ciabatta baguettes, 1.5 lbs of thick cut bacon, about 4 regular sized tomatoes, and a head of Boston Bibb lettuce. The lemon basil aioli held it all together. It’s important to also remember to season the cut tomato slices with a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a little salt and pepper. If you are looking for another layer of flavor, a nice ripe avocado help immensely.
So next time you get a craving for a BLT, leave the white bread on the counter and try it with the Boulart Ciabatta, you won’t be disappointed!
