FFwD: Deconstructed BLT and Eggs

You don't need me to tell you that a "BLT, hold the lettuce" is one of the greatest sandwiches ever invented. I have no problem with lettuce in moderation, but most diners pack six inches of iceberg onto a BLT, using up precious real estate that would better be served by tomatoes or mayo or baaaaaacon. Since I have no need for lettuce in my life, you can imagine my concern when I saw that this week's French Friday's with Dorie selection from Around My French Table was Deconstructed BLT with Eggs (pg 133). Dorie took one of my favorite meals in the world (especially when paired with a vanilla egg cream. Ohhhh baby!) and turned it into a salad. No holding the lettuce this time, I guess.

I gave myself an extra step by making Dorie's slow-roasted tomatoes this morning instead of buying sun-dried tomatoes. I considered making mayo, per Dorie's suggestion, but when I looked at her recipe and realized that it would only keep for a day or two, I decided against it, since I'd only be using a smidgen. Someday when I have better plans for it, I'll try making my own mayo.

The most inspired piece of this recipe is to brown cubes of country bread in the bacon grease left over from crisping up the bacon. Well, if I must.

I made myself eat the entire bag of arugula. The remainder would rot in the fridge, just like every other bag of lettuce I've ever bought, if I didn't finish it in one sitting. There's a lot of lettuce in a bag. I was definitely sick of this salad by the time I reached the end.

This was tasty, as far as salads go. The vinaigrette was the perfect tart counterpoint to the sweet  tomatoes and the bacon. The hard-boiled egg provided a nice contrasting texture. Heavy on the lettuce and light on the bacon and mayo, this salad was the exact opposite of what I like in a BLT. 

Conclusion: Liked it, but if I'm going to bother with bacon and mayo and bread, I'll stick with a sandwich (no lettuce.) I'd eat it again if I were looking for a way to force myself to eat a bag o' arugula.

I also played catch-up on one of the previously-covered FFwD recipes. I intended to make David Lebovitz's Maple-Walnut Pear Cake from Ready for Dessert to bring to my book club tonight, but then I remembered that one girl is allergic to nuts. Argh. I still had Salted Butter Break-ups (pg 400 of Around My French Table) on the brain after reading Rose's post on it the other day, so I copied her and threw it together. Rose said that they didn't keep well for more than a day, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to dispose of the whole thing in one go.

This is one giant cookie that you break up into pieces. I really hope the book club ladies don't think that I brought them a kitchen accident, because these win no points for presentation. Flavor-wise, though, they are buttery deeeelicious, with a salty side-note. They remind me of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies. Next time, I'll roll the dough thinner, because the crispy brown parts are the best. I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing (after all, it was only one cookie, right?).

Conclusion: Loved it.