Saturday, August 1, 2009

Bacon Lettuce and Peach Sammiches (BLPs)

Tomatoes are finally in season up here in Wisconsin. But, I wouldn't exactly say that they're in their "prime." I'm still waiting for the succulent juiciness of that first heirloom variety. You know the one -- the big, ugly one that is almost too ripe to be touched. It's the one that tastes of sugar and sunshine and just begs to be made into a BLT sammich.

Yeah.
Well, I'm going to wait for that tomato. And in the meantime, I'm going to turn to another summer staple. And this one is in prime form. Peaches.

You might think I'm a little crazy to sub peaches for tomatoes in this classic sandwich. But, I assure you, there's nothing crazy about it. Both fruits carry a similar sweetness. Peaches, in particular, have a special affinity for bacon; the sweet/smoky combo is just unbeatable. And the texture of a ripe peach and a ripe tomato are remarkably similar.
I like to make things a bit more interesting by replacing plain old mayo with a slightly embellished version. You can use your old reliable jarred mayo here; it's really OK. Add a bit of chopped basil and a couple of tablespoons of blue cheese (feta is also nice, if you're hesitant about blue).
Crisp up a bit of bacon. Rather than pan frying bacon, which makes a royal mess, I like baking mine on a large baking sheet at about 425ºF for about 20 minutes. It cooks quite evenly, it doesn't spatter onto my shirt, and the process frees me up to do other (very important) things. Like pour myself a glass of wine. Or start a blog post.
When everything is ready, you can assemble your sammiches. Spread with mayo, add your lettuce, bacon, and some slices of ripe peach.
And then you should admire your handiwork -- at least for a moment. It's downright pretty.
Fortunately, it's not too pretty to eat.
So, dig on in. It's seriously good stuff. So good you'll hardly miss the tomatoes.


Oh yeah -- and stay tuned.
We'll be breaking our silence and telling you ALL ABOUT our adventures with Pate De Canard En Croute on Wednesday!

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22 comments:

  1. That looks great. I would have never thought to sub in a peach. I bet thats delish with the blue cheese. Our tomatoes started coming in about 3 weeks ago and I have been going wild with the BLTAB's (bacon, lettuce, toms, avocado, and basil) sando's.

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  2. You see I actually think this must be better then the tomato version! I love tomatoes, but as far as I'm concerned bacon with sweet fruit is just heaven! Great idea!

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  3. Holy crap, that's brilliant. I've never been a raw tomato in sandwiches fan, but I love peaches. I'm definitely trying this.

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  4. Is that farm-fresh bacon? That's the best and the thicker cut is just so much better.

    And putting peaches on a sandwich is an intriguing idea. I'm all for trying fruit in savory dishes.

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  5. Here's the funny thing that looks like a sammy my kids would like. As for myself, I'm learning too. I do think that the blue cheese basil mayo sounds good. :)
    ~ingrid

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  6. I want some of that! Can't wait for Wednesday :)

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  7. Lo, where did you get your juicy peaches? I haven't had any luck at the grocery store yet this year :(

    The sandwiches look divine...

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  8. Allison -
    Outpost Natural Foods -- best peaches I've found yet!!

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  9. This is a really clever idea! Too bad good peaches are kind of hard to find right now...I'm still waiting for tomatoes. Just a few more weeks...

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  10. Yum! I love savory fruit ideas and this one looks great!

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  11. Oh my..sliced peaches with bacon..this looks soooooooooooo good. Your photos are amazing!!Figtreeapps

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  12. YUM! I can just imagine the combination of salty smoky bacon with sweet peach. Divine.

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  13. Bleu cheese with peaches--that sounds fantastic! And, we have lots of local peaches right now. I have to try this.

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  14. Now this is some kind of brilliant.

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  15. I think it's a great idea. I love sweet-salty combos.

    Some cheddar would be nice on this too.

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  16. I made this tonight - with the blue cheese basil mayo. Amazing!!! Thanks for the great combo.

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  17. Kerry - Great combo, isn't it? Glad you enjoyed. (and thanx so much for visiting & letting us know)

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  18. Wish I could do the bacon, but I'm veggie. I've been curing tofu and smoking it in a salty marinade -- it's sort of close to bacon, and better for me than the store bought fakon. Right??? Anyway, it works for me (but then I haven't had real meat in 20 years so I remember nothing about what it's like) and I have so many overripe peaches -- which is, as you know, when they're best. I'll let you know how it turns out!

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  19. Becky - Your bacon alternative sounds fab! Definitely let us know if it works on this sammich. I'd be into that myself if it turns out to be a success!

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  20. Its so nice idea ! I love savory fruit ideas and this one looks great!
    thanks for sharing
    ___________________
    victor
    Payday Loan online in 24hours

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  21. Here I've been jumping the gun eating BLTs with pre-prime tomatoes because I had no idea you could make a BLP, with blue cheese no less! You are genius.

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