Elevate the basic bacon, lettuce and tomato by making this gourmet BLT sandwich with candied pepper bacon and basil garlic aioli on sourdough bread.
As summer slips away, I find myself reflecting on what I will miss. This gourmet BLT sandwich, so packed with summertime flavors, is high on that list.
Ah, summertime. There’s a lot to love.
Endless sunshine. Sleeping in. Flip-flops. Spontaneous road trips. Playing outside with friends until the sun goes down. Splashing in the pool. Fresh-from-the-garden produce.
Especially vine-ripened tomatoes, which taste like summer and sunshine and all that is good in the world.
I don’t think there’s a more perfect food than homegrown tomatoes. I live on them all summer long and pine for them the rest of the year because those you find in the grocery store just don’t compare.
Give me a shaker of salt and a fresh tomato, and I’m a happy gal.
Add bacon, lettuce and soft bread…
… and I’m heaven. Particularly when lunch is this gourmet version of your basic bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.
As we sometimes say here in the south, this sandwich is slap-your-mama good (although I never would)!
It combines a vine-ripened summer tomato, soft sourdough bread, candied bacon and a homemade garlic-basil aioli.
Don’t let the long name fool you: this gourmet BLT sandwich doesn’t take much effort at all to make. It’s mostly slicing and stirring and sprinkling!
How to make a gourmet BLT Sandwich
My bread of choice is a soft sourdough from the grocery store’s bakery. (Or if you’re feeling really industrious, homemade.)
Start out by coating two slices of bread with homemade garlic-basil aioli.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 3-4 basil leaves, sliced and chopped into fresh pieces
Mix the mayonnaise, garlic and basil and stir to combine.
Top the bread with green leaf lettuce and a juicy red tomato, sliced thick and seasoned liberally with salt and pepper.
What type of bacon should I use for a gourmet BLT sandwich?
Next add 2 slices of brown sugar and pepper bacon. You could use regular fried bacon. But trust me, it’s worth the little bit of extra effort to make the candied bacon for this sandwich.
And it’s not really much effort at all. Click here for the super simple candied bacon recipe. Be sure to make a batch big enough for snacking and sandwiches. Candied bacon is one of my new favorite party foods. I recommend using a thicker cut bacon to make the candied bacon for the gourmet BLT.
Finish off your gourmet BLT sandwich with another dollop of garlic-basil mayo, top with the other slice of bread and enjoy!
Gourmet BLT Sandwich with Candied Bacon & Garlic Basil Aioli
Ingredients
For the Basil Aioli
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 3-4 basil leaves sliced and chopped into fresh pieces
For the Sandwich
- 10 slices fried brown sugar pepper bacon
- 10 lettuce leaves
- 2 tomatoes sliced
- 10 slices sourdough bread
Instructions
To make the aioli
- Mix the mayonnaise, garlic and basil and stir to combine.
To make the sandwiches
- Coat the slices of bread with aioli.
- Top five slices of bread with green leaf lettuce and a juicy red tomato, sliced thick and seasoned liberally with salt and pepper.
- Add 2 slices of brown sugar and pepper bacon to each sandwich.
- Finish off each gourmet BLT sandwich with another dollop of garlic-basil mayo.
- Top with remaining slices of bread.
Nutrition
Pin This! Gourmet BLT Sandwich
For more summer sandwich ideas, try these:
chris aka monkey
you had me at bacon lol can’t wait to try the candied bacon thanks for sharing xx
kirby carespodi
AAAHHHH! Candied bacon? I’m IN!