A Late Summer Delicacy

A few days ago I realized that my sweet corn was ready to pick. How did I know? Take a look:

The cobs felt full, the bumpy kernels were palpable under the husk, and the silk had dried out. I peeled back the husk and pierced a kernel with my thumbnail. The juice was milky. Finally, I took a bite of my test cob. It was sweet and flavorful.

Also, we have been harvesting tomatoes for a few weeks now. Although we are not harvesting nearly as many as usual, they have good flavor and I had a few that needed to be used. (Not enough to run the canner, however. Yes I am bitter about it.) I informed Mr. Food It Yourself that the corn was ready, and suggested the perfect companion- BLT sandwiches. Why bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches match perfectly with corn on the cob I do not know. I just know it is a delicious combination.

First, I roasted the corn. While the oven heated to 400F, I removed the silks from the ears, but left the husks on. Then, I soaked the ears in a cold water bath to float away any insects and also to add a little water under the husks to help the cooking. The obvious thing to do is arrange the corn on a baking sheet, then slip the baking sheet into the oven. In my experience this method causes the cylindrical cobs to roll in unpredictable directions. My advice: place the baking sheet in the oven, then place the ears on the sheet using tongs. Let the ears roast for 10 minutes, turn them over, and let them go 10 more. I then used my trusty tongs to move the ears to a large bowl, which I covered. With the residual heat and moisture trapped, the corn finished cooking.

As the oven was already set to 400F, it was easy enough to get the bacon started. I spread the bacon out on a baking rack over a jelly-roll pan. I put the whole assembly in the oven and did something else for 15-20 minutes. I like my bacon crispy, so I waited the full 20 minutes.

In between removing D0ttMatrix (the Food It Yourself cat) from the countertop and slicing my tomatoes, I looked into the history of the bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. I could not find many definitive facts. Taste Atlas notes that the sandwich is thought to be a descendant of bacon sandwiches commonly eaten as an evening meal in the UK as far back as the Victorian era. The University of Wyoming Agricultural Extension notes that similar sandwiches appeared in cookbooks in the USA in the early 20th century, and the “BLT” acronym appeared in the early 1940’s.

Most of the sources I found expressed strong opinions about what type of lettuce should be used, whether bread should be toasted, if mayonnaise is allowed…I ignored all that. The best way to make a BLT (or any other dish) is the way YOU like it. I went ahead an sliced some of the few tomatoes we’ve harvested this year, and prepared some romaine lettuce.

And here is the perfectly crispy bacon! Also note the bacon grease in the jelly-roll pan. I am going to save that!

Finally, it was time to assemble the sandwiches. I like my bread toasted, I used a thin layer of mayonnaise on both slices, lots of tomato, two lettuce leaves, and 2 slices of bacon. You assemble your sandwich how you like it.

You make your BLT how you like it. Use a tortilla or wrap instead of toast. Use turkey or tofu bacon. Replace the lettuce with arugula or another green. Indeed, the BLT is a springboard for other sandwiches.

• Forget the bacon and lettuce and just have a tomato sandwich. (This is evidently very popular in the south.)
• Add an egg for a BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato).
• If you like avocado toast, try a BALTO (bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion).
• An MLT (mutton, lettuce, tomato), when the mutton is nice and lean…
• A club sandwich is basically a BLT and a ham&cheese stuck together

Mr. Food It Yourself and I agreed that this was an amazing meal. It highlighted the flavors of both our tomatoes and sweet corn. Even though I paid a little extra for the fancy “center cut” bacon, it was affordable. We now have a stash of bacon fat for flavoring other dishes. I really enjoyed every aspect of this meal.

What is a particularly excellent meal you have made lately? Share in the comments!