Ridiculously Good BLT’s and Malts! (inspired by Pop)
This is dedicated and inspired by Bill Thompson – or Pop as most of us know him!
My first visit to Minnesota, Woody and I were invited over to Pop’s for BLT’s and malts made with his very own home grown tomatoes. It seemed a perfectly fitting meal for this past weekend.
The supplies: bread from “the Breadman”, thick cut bacon from “Taylor’s Meats” (my new favorite butcher!), farmer’s market arugula, tomatoes and fresh herbs!
Tarragon, thyme and basil
Homemade aïoli – simple – egg yolk, mustard, garlic paste – whisked together.
Pour in a steady stream of a neutral oil (or olive oil depending on the flavor you want) while whisking. The proteins in the egg yolk and the mustard are emulsified with the oil into a suspension making magical aïoli!
Keep whisking and adding oil until it is the proper thickness.
Don’t even try and tell me this bacon doesn’t look heavenly…? And it’s not even crispy yet!
Clearly, Cleo would have appreciated a sample of the slobber-inducing bacon…the smell was driving her crazy. Look at how patient she can be!
Basil chiffonade
Basil, tarragon and thyme…in that order.
Herbs added, sprinkle in salt and pepper and make sure it is irresistable.
There really is nothing better than a summer tomato…luckily we are at the very beginning of the season still!
Mmmmm….bacon….(a la Homer)….
Oven-ready bread – we are sans toaster at the moment.
It takes much willpower to leave each piece of bacon untouched…and really the only way of guaranteeing this…is knowing that each piece you sneak now…will be one less crunchy bit on your sandwich!
Malt preparation – I had to refer back to my resident MN expert for this part.
Serve with crunchy potato chips, and a crisp pickle.
It’s a good weekend if these are on the menu – my only complaint was cooking them late enough that we didn’t get a chance to enjoy them outside on the deck…really the only appropriate place to enjoy a BLT and malt!
Happy Memorial Day!
Onions and Chocolate 