BLT Avocado

Every now and then I make everybody in the house very happy with this BLT. It’s one of the easiest sandwiches to prepare and absolutely in my top 10 of favorite American dishes. Provided, of course, the sandwich is properly made, ‘cause sadly enough I’ve had a lot of lousy BLT’s in my life: wonder bread, tough slices of greasy bacon, hard unripe tomatoes…. The key to a < successful BLT is using only the best ingredients. Make it with really fresh salad (I came across a beautiful bag of mizuna salad, which tastes somewhat like arugula), not too thickly sliced good quality (sourdough) bread, organic thinly sliced bacon (you want them crisp and airy), good mayonnaise made with egg yolks, nice ripe tomatoes, and, if you like, ripe avocado’s. That’s it! I prefer using homemade garlic mayonnaise, which is easier to make than most people think. But if you are in a lazy mood you can also use good quality store-bought mayonnaise.

Lunch, serves 4
Action Time: 25 minutes (this includes preparing the mayonnaise!)

12-16 slices of thinly sliced smoked bacon
olive oil, for sprinkling
8 slices of bread, not too thickly sliced (I use San Francisco sourdough)
2-3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 small avocados, peeled, pit removed, and sliced
2 large handfuls of salad (such as mizuna, arugula, baby leaf)
For the garlic mayonnaise (see also tips below):
1 egg yolk
1-2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed
about ¾-1 cup/ 200-250 ml ml canola oil or sunflower oil

Extra: whisk or electric hand mixer

1. First make the mayonnaise. In a bowl whisk (by hand or with an electric hand mixer) the egg yolk with the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, a pinch of salt, and 1 tsp cold water until frothy. Whisking constantly, very slowly dribble the oil into the egg yolk, until the egg yolk absorbs the oil en the mayonnaise thickens. Now you can add the oil a little faster in a thin stream, keep whisking. Add more salt and lemon juice to taste and grind over some black pepper.

2. In a dry skillet, cook the bacon over low to moderate heat, until brown. Drain on paper towels; the bacon will get crisp once cooled.

3. Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Drizzle a little olive oil onto the slices of bread and toast in the pan until golden. Flip over and toast the other side; don’t let it burn!

4. Sprinkle tomatoes and avocados with salt and pepper. Spread the toasted bread with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Then layer 4 slices of bread with bacon, tomato, avocado, and salad. Top with the remaining slices of bread. Slice the sandwiches in half and enjoy!

Tips & tricks for a better mayonnaise:
-All of the ingredients need to be at room temperature.
-By adding water your mayonnaise will emulsify better.
-In the beginning add the oil drip by drip, when the mayonnaise starts to hold its shape you can add the oil a little bit faster.
-You can alse use a milde olive oil or a combination of olive oil and canola or sunflower oil.
-Once the mayonnaise is ready, put it in the fridge.
-If your mayonnaise looks too solid, add another teaspoon of water or lemon juice.
-If your mayonnaise breaks, start over with an egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and water. Slowly add the broken mixture; it will incorporate perfectly.