Last fall…towards
the end of tomato season…I made a Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado & Tomato (BLAT)
Salad. It was so good. I had already shared several salads over the
course of the latter part of the summer…and tomato season was winding down…so I
decided not to post the recipe. Then, a
couple of weeks ago when tomato season really hit its stride (as in—they are so
beautiful and abundant that I buy way too many at the market…), I remembered
that salad. I ate it twice this past week. I’m sure I will make it a few more times
before the end of tomato season. Now
seemed like a good time to share the “recipe.”
The “recipe” is
truly simple…little more than a deconstructed BLT with avocado. It is actually a bit like Panzanella in that
there is much more bread than one finds in a typical salad. I wanted to keep the ratios of the
ingredients like what one would find in the classic sandwich. Besides lots of toasty bread, this translates
into loads of bacon and tomato…and just a little bit of lettuce. The result is sort of like a BLAT sandwich
that exploded artfully on your plate…and since eating a good BLT/BLAT sandwich
involves dripping juices and a stack of napkins, the salad is frankly much
easier to eat.
I am particularly enamored
with the croutons in this salad. Rather
than uniform cubes of crunchy bread, these croutons are randomly sized and present
the eater with a variety of textures—from crunchy to chewy...with even a few soft
bits. I have borrowed the method for
making them from Judy Rodgers’ famous Roast Chicken Salad. I don’t think she calls them anything in the
recipe, so I’m calling them “Torn Croutons.”
To make them, remove the crusts from a chunk of day-old baguette or peasant
bread. Cut the crust-less bread into
largish chunks, brush them all over with olive oil,
place them on a sheet pan
and run them under the broiler. Watch
the bread carefully and turn it as it colors until all the surfaces are by and
large a light golden brown. There will
probably be a few charred bits which may be scraped off—or left on, if that’s
how you like it.
Tear the now golden and
toasty bread into bite-sized chunks. You
may have some larger pieces…and some “fat crumbs” (to quote Rodgers)…but this
will just add more texture and variety to your salad. A half pound chunk of bread (weighed before
removing the crusts) should produce about 4 cups of croutons.
I have never made
these ahead, but Rodgers mentions that they may be made a few hours ahead. (If I made them too far ahead there probably
wouldn’t be any left by the time dinner rolled around…they are quite snackable…).
I
think they will be delicious anyplace you like to use croutons (salads, soups,
pilafs, pastas, etc). In a salad they
are particularly delicious when dressed with some of your vinaigrette—which not
only adds flavor, but will soften them slightly.
One note: You can control the ratio of crunchy bits to
softer/chewier bits by altering the size of the chunks of bread to be
broiled. If the chunks you begin with
are large, you will have lots of softer/chewy interior. If they are smaller, you will have mostly
crunch…with just a bit of chew. For this
salad, I like them somewhere in the middle.
(In her chicken salad, Rodgers leaves them larger…and softens them
further by adding pan drippings from the roast chicken.) After you make them a time or two, you will
get the hang of it and find how you like them best.
The only addition to
my BLAT salad that might seem surprising is the roasted corn. Corn is—to me at least—an obvious partner for
tomatoes… and bacon… and avocado…. (If you follow me on Instagram, you will know I eat corn, tomato and avocado salads all summer long.) I have made this salad without it, but much prefer it with. Good, fresh, summer corn adds texture, pops
of sweetness and moisture…and turns this salad into something out of the
ordinary.
As I said, you don’t
really need a recipe for this salad. In
fact, I hope you will just gather your ingredients they way you would if you
were making a sandwich: in quantities to
suit your taste. But since I know many
people like to have a recipe for a starting point, I’m including a recipe for
the vinaigrette and crouton… as well as estimates of how much of each
ingredient I used for each person.
Enjoy!
Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado
& Tomato Salad with Sweet Corn
For two salads you will need:
1 medium ear of
corn, roasted in the husk
3/4 lb. mixed
tomatoes (vine ripes, multi-colored heirlooms, cherry, etc.—anything you like
as long as they are deliciously ripe)
Salt & Pepper
1 ripe avocado
A handful (about an
ounce) of arugula (or any favorite salad green—tear large leaves into
bite-sized pieces)
3 or 4 T. Red wine-shallot vinaigrette
2 to 2 1/2 cups Torn Croutons
6 to 8 slices of
bacon, cooked until crisp and each slice broken into 2 or 3 pieces
Cut the corn away
from the cob. You can put as much as you
like on each salad, but I think a third cup per person is about right. Most local corn in my region yields at least
a cup of kernels per ear during the height of corn season. Any corn you don’t use in your salad may be
stored in the fridge for several days (for salads, pilafs, etc.). Place the corn to be used in the salad in a
small bowl
Cut the
tomatoes: Halve any cherry
tomatoes. Large tomatoes should be cored
and then cut in a variety of shapes—fat slices (half moon or round) and
wedges. Spread the tomatoes on a platter,
the cutting board or a sheet pan and season with salt and pepper.
Halve and pit the
avocado (but don’t peel). Season the cut
surfaces with salt & pepper
Place the greens in
a small bowl (if you want to use fewer bowls, add the arugula to the bowl with
the corn). Season and dress the corn and
the arugula with a small amount of vinaigrette (don’t use too much—you can
always drizzle more over the salad at the end).
Dress the croutons
with some of the vinaigrette (a tablespoon of vinaigrette for a cup of croutons
is about right). Taste and season with
salt & pepper if necessary.
Build the salad in layers:
Arrange half of each
of the tomatoes, bacon, croutons and corn on a platter or two individual plates. Take an avocado half and using a spoon, scoop
bite-sized portions of avocado, arranging them in and among the ingredients
already on the plate(s) as you scoop.
Scatter all but a
few leaves of the greens over all (see note).
Repeat the first layer with the remaining ingredients and top with any
remaining greens. Drizzle with more
vinaigrette (and/or pass more separately).
Finish the salad with a good grinding of black pepper and serve.
Note: If you dress the corn and arugula together,
you will obviously be adding the corn to the salad in one layer…when you add
the majority of the greens.
Red Wine-Shallot Vinaigrette:
2 T. red wine
vinegar
1 medium shallot
(about an ounce), peeled and finely diced
1/4 t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black
pepper
1/3 c. extra virgin
olive oil
Place the vinegar,
shallot and salt in a small bowl and let macerate for 5 or 10 minutes. Add a few grindings of pepper. Add the olive oil in a thin stream while
whisking constantly. Taste and correct
the seasoning. Set aside. Store covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before
using. Makes a half cup of vinaigrette
Torn Croutons:
Cut the crusts away
from a chunk of day old baguette (or peasant bread...but nothing too grainy or
hearty). Cut the bread into large
chunks. Brush the chunks of bread all
over with olive oil and place on a small sheet pan. Place the pan under the broiler. Watch carefully, turning the bread as it
browns. Your goal is surfaces that are
crisp and as uniformly golden as possible.
When done, scrape away any bits that are too charred for your
taste. Tear the toasted chunks of bread
into bite-sized pieces—you will have larger pieces as well as big crumbs. Set aside until ready to use.
A half pound of
bread (weighed prior to trimming away the crusts) should produce about 4 cups
of torn croutons.
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