BLTs with Honey Mustard Aioli
These BLTs are my pride and joy, particularly because of the home made Aioli. Not only is Aioli ALWAYS a worthwhile investment and makes everything taste 10x better, I particularly love it because it’s built on elements and ingredients that you naturally get when making BLTs: The fat from the bacon and the juice from the tomatoes.
ingredients (Serves 2 sandwiches)
For the Sandwich
4 slices of fresh sourdough bread
1 stick room temp, unsalted butter
16 slices of thin cut, smoked bacon
2 tomatoes, cut into medium thick slices
1 half romaine lettuce
For the Aioli
2 egg yolks
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp white distilled vinegar
1 tbsp Lord’s Holy Smokes Sauce
1 lemon (juiced)
instructions:
Preheat your oven at 420F
Drizzle a tbsp of vegetable or olive oil on the bottom of a baking sheet and then place a wire wrack on top of it. *This is so that the bacon fat doesn’t burn when hitting the bottom of the hot baking sheet. We want to preserve it as best as possible.
Place your bacon slices on the wire wrack and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the bacon has reduced in size, is dark and crispy and the fat below has rendered.
While your bacon is roasting, slice your tomatoes and salt the slices on both sides generously. Let rest so that they begin releasing all their juices.
Once your bacon is ready, remove from the oven, set aside to cool.
In one bowl, combine your vegetable oil, olive oil and bacon fat.
In another bowl, combine the juice of your lemon, the vinegar and the juices from your salted tomatoes.
To make your aoili, in a third, large bowl, mix your egg yolks, mustard and honey. Whisk and combine well.
Slowly and using a ladle or measuring cup, being drizzling drop by drop your combined fat, onto the bowl with the yolks and mustard, while whisking. At first, you’ll want every drop of oil to hit the whisk while moving, so that you make sure that each drop disappears into the yolks, and you can’t see it floating, separating from the mixture. Everything should look completely homogenized. Advance like so, slowly while whisking constantly. Once you’ve advanced enough, and the mixture has increased in volume, you’ll find that you can begin mixing in more fat, more quickly. Take your time though. If this is your first time doing an Aoili, I recommend having your first ladle of fat drizzled almost drop by drop. The second ladle you can begin drizzling it more fluidly.
Once you’ve mixed and emulsified all your fat into the yolks, you should be left with a mixture that is very similar to Mayo. Thick, glossy and rich. Season with a big pinch of salt and then begin adding little by little your wet, acidic ingredients into the mixture, whisking very well. Start tasting and adding more salt and acid as needed until reaching a desired taste and consistency.
If ever you feel like you’ve added too much acid and the mixture has thinned out too much, prepare another combination of Olive oil and Vegetable oil. (1 cup each) and begin drizzling it again onto the mixture until it begins to thicken again). You’ll have enough Aoili for the sandwiches and for the week, but you can dip this thing on anything and it’ll taste good, so it’s a worthwhile investment!)
Once you have an aioli you’re happy with, mix in the tbsp of Lord’s Holy Smokes. Taste after mixing well and if you feel like it could use more spice, add another tbsp. I prefer 2 or 3 but this will depend on everyone’s tolerance for heat.
Set your finish aioli to rest in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Slather your four slices of bread with room temp butter, on one side only and then place in the oven to toast / broil, until they’re nice and golden brown.
Take your lettuce out of the fridge and using and using a pastry brush or spoon, slather aioli on each lettuce leaf, only on one side. This will ensure each piece of lettuce is properly seasoned and dressed.
To plate, take your aioli out of the fridge and dollop a generous spoon full on each slice, slathering edge to edge.
Add one large leaf of lettuce on top of the bread.
On top of the lettuce, add two or three tomato slices.
On top of the tomatoes, add and distribute the bacon.
On top of the bacon, place another dressed lettuce leaf. The lettuce should be encasing the tomato and bacon.
then place the top piece of toast, aioli side down.
Serve with fresh peperoncini, more tomato slices and pieces of crispy bacon. As well as salt and vinegar potato chips and cold beer.
