Bacon, lettuce, and tomato! Minustomatoplusegg.
There’s a wonderful little café in Somerville, 3 Little Figs, that makes my favorite chocolate chip cookies in the world. These pistachio chocolate chip cookies have a crisp, golden brown, salt-sprinkled exterior that belies the perfectly dense, but not fudge-like, interior. Every bite is indulgently substantial. Nathan and I have probably eaten, on average, at least one of these cookies a week for the last three years, and still I have not succeeded in deciphering the recipe.
The makers of this mysteriously wonderful cookie also sell a BLT sandwich comprised of bacon and tomato and mustard greens served between two slices of slightly sweet multigrain bread with honey mustard. I don’t typically order or make BLTs because the idea of eating just bacon, lettuce, and tomato usually strikes me as a great way to be hungry again in an hour. But, I thoroughly enjoy the BLT at 3 Little Figs, so for brunch one weekend Nathan and I decided to try to recreate it.
On this particular brunch Sunday, I had planned poorly and we had neither tomatoes nor lettuce on hand. However, I found in the refrigerator a handful of mixed greens from a previous dinner party and eggs (we always have eggs). As eggs and bacon frequently complement one another in many brunch dishes, we decided to give the two a try in a “modified” BLT.
For the sandwich fixings, I pan-fried a few slices of bacon and let them drain on a paper-towel-lined rack. To cook the eggs, I followed the same technique that I use for California rolls: beat the eggs gently, heat the skillet (with oil or butter) until it’s quite hot, pour in the eggs, turn down the heat, and wait until the top of the egg nearly coagulates. Then, fold in half, turn off the stove, and let the heat of the skillet finish cooking the egg. Preparing the egg this way allows greater control over the “runniness” of the egg; less time for more runny, more time for less runny.
To make the honey mustard, I whisked together whole grain dijon mustard and honey. I like the slightly more mild taste of whole grain dijon mustard compared to the pre-ground variety. Finally, we toasted two slices of multigrain bread; spread the honey mustard on top; and assembled the sandwich egg first, then greens, then bacon. The order matters because it changes the texture! I usually prefer textures to start crispy/light on top and transition to substantial and dense on the bottom. And thus, from humble beginnings and my lack of grocery planning, BLTMinusTPlusE came to be.