Have you been on Pinterest? It’s a virtual pinboard where you can “pin” any image that catches your eye. It’s a great place to tuck, or should I say tack, all those visual bits of inspiration we come across online. Awesome photos, luscious looking food, fabulous style pegs, anything, anything at all that appeals to your sense of gorgeousness.
Suffice to say, I am quite enamored. It’s an effortless way to quickly save any image that inspires me…and because of the endless amount of talent out there in the world, that’s a lot! On the site itself, there are other “pinboards” from all sorts of lovely people, brimming with brilliance. So as far as inspiration is concerned, there is a whole lot to go around. All of it, quite literally, at the tips of your fingers.
And it’s with thanks to Pinterest, and its wonderful members, that I’ve come to this BLT. Not just any BLT, but a BLT with slow roasted tomatoes and a fried egg. A BLT for champions.
Being a lover of porcine delights, it’s no wonder that the mighty BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato if your being formal) is one of my favorite sandwiches. I also happen to love slow-roasting tomatoes. And I love eggs. So when I came across these alluring photos on Pinterest the wheels were set in motion for my next breakfast BLT (because what better time to have bacon that at breakfast?).
This is not so much a recipe as a framework. You choose the quantities. Here is what I did: I slow roasted some tomatoes – this is the way I like to do that. You can do this in advance, in fact, it’s better if you do. Waiting a couple of hours for a sandwich can seem a bit surreal. When you are ready, fry your bacon in a dry, hot pan (I like to use a thickish honey-cured variety from a local deli) – let the fat render and cook exactly the way you like it (for a BLT I like mine just bordering on crisp). While the bacon is cooking toast the bread (I use my favorite whole-grain, sold at my neighborhood market, baked by a former French Foreign Legionnaire…or so they say). Slather on side of the bread quite generously with mayonnaise (or not, if that’s your preference). Arrange the lettuce leaves over the mayonnaise (I like to use arugula) and the slow-roasted tomatoes over that. When the bacon is done set aside on paper towels and fry the egg in the sizzling hot bacon fat, sprinkle the yolk with salt. The egg will sputter and may look quite frayed but that’s ok – take it out while the yolk’s still runny. Place the bacon over the tomatoes and the egg on that. Top with another slice of toast. Press down on the sandwich just enough so the yolk gently ruptures and wiggle the bread a bit so it spreads. Enjoy with abandon.
Inspiration is, truly, everywhere. It can come from a “pinboard” of someone half a world away, or right outside your window. It can come from your neighborhood market or a meal you are about to have. It can come from an ingredient you’ve never come across before. It can come from leftovers. It can come from something you just learned from someone you’ve known your whole life. The key is to always keep your eyes, your mind and your heart wide open to its possibility. It could change your life. Or at the very least give you a fantastic BLT.
I hope we all let inspiration find us this weekend! :)
Note: If you’re curious about what inspires me, you can visit my pinboards here. Aside from the obvious food, I also have pretty things for myself, my little one, and my home.
Note: If you’re curious about what inspires me, you can visit my pinboards here. Aside from the obvious food, I also have pretty things for myself, my little one, and my home.