You say "Tomato", I say "Oh yeah!"

Well, I am back in Brooklyn and back in the rut, in a major way. I managed to scrounge up the makings for more BLET sandwiches and green bean and cherry tomato salad at the greenmarket before dragging myself to the train, making it home just before a bout of oatmeal induced vomiting ensued . . . don't ask me, I don't know either.

The good news is I am once again feeling fine, though a little wary of the leftover oatmeal staring at me everytime I open the fridge, and feel inspired to share with you perhaps my most favorite summertime meal. The BLET. Sounds a lot like "blech", though I assure you that is NOT the sound you will be uttering as you eat this sandwich.

In order to assure an appropriately enjoyable sandwich eating experience I feel I must give you some guidelines.

First, the bread. The bread is simply a vehicle of transport for the sandwich filling; less is more. It is wise to choose a bread such as ciabatta, preferably one that has a nice chewy crust but soft, airy interior. This will give you the optimal bread to filling ratio. If you cannot find such a loaf (for those who live in NYC I highly recommend Bread Alone's ciabatta panini, available at their greenmarket stand) I think slices of a nice country loaf or perhaps even a soft centered baguette, split down the center may be appropriate.

Second, the tomato. This sandwich is highly seasonal. It is the mecca for homegrown tomatoes which taste pleasantly of the dirt and sunshine in which they were grown. It would be blasphemy to use a tomato that has travelled the world and is hard and pithy. You would be better off not eating anything at all. Sounds drastic, I know, but take my word on this one.

Next, the egg. The key to this sandwich's success is the egg. Fried until crispy on the bottom, yet maintaining a soft yolk is the secret. Unfortunately as I documented the making of a sandwich for this post I got so caught up snapping photos that I forgot I was cooking eggs on the stove, leaving me with borderline hard yolks. When done properly there should be a gush of egg yolk that runs onto the plate as you cut your sandwich in half, seconds before devouring it. This gives you a nice little sauce to mop up with each bite.

The last piece of advice is this: Before you begin, be prepared to eat. This may seem silly but it is sound advice. Once you have achieved the proper bread to filling ratio, have a nice juicy garden tomato and a runny egg you better be prepared to just let loose and dive in. If you happen to be looking for a recipe to serve a prospective other on your first date, I suggest you keep looking. This sandwich will leave you sighing with pleasure, but it will also leave you slurping up bits of cheese and bacon, draped in tomato seeds, as little rivulets of egg drip down your forearms. Enjoy!!

(I don't know why the format is so bad today, but I assure you it is the website and not me who does not know how to create proper paragraph structure!)

BLET (Bacon Lettuce Egg and Tomato Sandwich)

Yield 1 sandwich

1 ciabatta panini, 2 thin slices of country bread, or 1/3 baguette, split

1 garden fresh tomato

2 strips bacon (turkey bacon works well too)

1 leaf crispy lettuce

2 thin slices cheddar cheese

1 or 2 eggs

mayo

salt and pepper

Fry bacon in a small skillet. While it's frying, toast your bread and spread it with a very thin layer of mayo. Place a thick slice of tomato on the bottom piece of bread. Remove bacon from skillet, drain on paper towels and pour off all but 1 tsp. or so of fat. Crack eggs into the pan, return to heat, and season lightly with salt and pepper. When whites are just cooked and yolks are still runny remove eggs from skillet with a soft rubber spatula, place on tomato. (If using two eggs, fold them in half like an omelet so that it fits on your bread.) Top with cheese, bacon, and lettuce. Finish with top piece of bread. Give it a good squish down, cut in half, grab a couple napkins and get ready for a good time.