There aren’t many things I brag about – except the fact that, back in 1997, I learned how to play pool well enough not to embarrass myself.
And I stopped bragging about that in the early aughts.
But I do make the world’s best BLT. It’s not bragging if it’s true, right?
The trick is rye bread, pickled jalapenos and parmesan cheese. Honest and for true.
This time around, though, I also upped the ante by pickling my own jalapenos and Hungarian wax peppers.
Pickled Peppers (Based on David Lebovitz’s recipe)
- 4 hot peppers, whatever you have on hand
- 1 cup of white distilled vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
Wash the peppers, then puncture them each 3 times with a knife. Put them in a canning jar. Bring the vinegar, water, bay leaves, peppercorns and coriander seeds to a boil. After the brine comes to a boil turn the heat down and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour brine over peppers, let come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Leave unopened in refrigerator for a week to reach optimal flavor. Use within a month.
BLT
- 4 slices of rye bread
- 8 slices of cooked bacon
- Dijon
- 4 large lettuce leaves
- 10 slices of plum tomato
- 2 large slices of red onion
- 1 tablespoon of pickled jalapeno, chopped
- 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan
- Pepper
Lightly toast the bread, and spread dijon on the toast making sure to cover every inch of it. Crumble bacon and discard the fat. Layer ½ of the bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno and cheese on each sandwich.
The jalapenos and dijon give the sandwich a great heat, and the parmesan’s saltiness makes the bacon and vegetables sing. I’m not going to apologize for the fat and sodium, a sandwich like this would only be offended by the suggestion of imperfection.
But this is only my interpretation of the perfect BLT. What’s yours?
Serves 2 happy people.
Photos by Launie K.
