The Perfect BLT
One of the highlights of summer is eating a BLT sandwich, preferably made with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes from your garden or the farmers’ market. Here we take this warm weather staple up a notch by topping it with a garlicky aioli that gets its gorgeous green color from fresh basil. The aioli recipe makes enough for several sandwiches, so multiply the sandwich ingredients if you have a crowd to feed. The leftover aioli is also great dolloped on steamed or roasted vegetables or stirred into your favorite summery soup.
Ingredients:
For the basil aioli:
- 1/2 cup (1/2 oz./15 g) fresh packed basil leaves
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. Champagne vinegar
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) avocado oil
For the sandwich:
- 3 to 4 slices hickory- or applewood-smoked bacon, cooked until crisp
- 2 slices artisan sourdough bread, about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for spreading
- 1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed (optional)
- 2 slices of a large medium-ripe large heirloom tomato, about 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick
- 3 to 4 butter lettuce or romaine leaves
- Flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
To make aioli, in a food processor, combine the basil, egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and salt and pulse several times until combined. With the machine running, slowly add a few drops of the oil and then follow with a slow, steady stream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue blending until thoroughly combined and emulsified. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. The aioli can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To assemble the sandwich, preheat a nonstick fry pan over medium heat. Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread, covering the entire surface. Place the bread slices in the pan, butter side down. Toast until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip to toast the other side, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the bread to your work surface, buttered side up.
Spread one slice of bread with the aioli and spread the other with the avocado. Sprinkle both slices with flaky sea salt and pepper. Top the aioli with the tomatoes and sprinkle lightly with more salt. Top the tomatoes with the bacon and top the avocado with the lettuce. Press the two halves together to form a sandwich. Serve with more of the aioli alongside, if desired. Serves 1.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
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