What to do with an expensive tomato
Have you ever treated yourself to an expensive tomato?
Have you ever treated yourself to a single heirloom tomato? In season. Ripe. Striped with color. Fleshy. Juicy. Sweet. (I sorta sounds like I’m talking about butts… my apologies).
In any case… have you ever paid nearly $4 for a single tomato?
I have.
When really good tomatoes are thaaaat expensive, you choose carefully. You don’t care if you’re blocking the skinny yoga girl who is fluttering about behind you trying to get at the same tomato display. Excuse me, skinny yoga girl…. I’m going to take my time with this one. You should go eat a steak anyway.
What do you do with your ‘spensive tomato once you’ve requested that it be packed in it’s own separate bag, once you’ve placed it in the empty passenger seat next to you, once you’ve coddled it all the way home?
You put bacon on it. It is the only option.
Ok… so we’re going to put more than just bacon onto a tomato.
We’re making BLT sandwiches, with the best ingredients we can get out hands on. Because we’re (totes) worth it.
First. Good bread. Mine is from La Brea Bakery. Gimme. It’s good.
Organic Red Leaf Butter Lettuce.
That’s a lot of words for lettuce. See? Fancy.
Mayonnaise.
It’s not that fancy.
It’s just mayonnaise.
Nice, thick sliced, smoked bacon. Extra slices. Extra crisp.
Combine all ingredients in between bread slices.
Marvel at the beauty of your expensive tomato, fancy lettuce, crispy bacon… and the bread that you toasted in the residual bacon fat….
and then shove the entire thing into your mouth. Slowly.
Epic.
ps. if you have your own heirloom tomato plant, i salute you and your fancypants.
174 Comments Add A Comment
I now consider how lucky we are in Brisbane, Australia, where we can buy a kilo of heirloom tomatoes for $5.50. And my partner is a seed saver, so I buy the expensive varieties, she keeps the seeds from at least one of each type, and now I just go out to our garden and pick a juicy tomato with real flavour whenever we need it.
BTW: I love this site and have made a few of your recipes – my work colleagues are always grateful for the results.
Cheers
Jenni
Oh you poor deprived city dwellers. Kiss my fancy pants.
I make my own bread, too.
But my husband is vegan so I hardly ever get bacon. I think you’re one up. :)
No fair – I’ve had dinner already, but I’m pregnant and now I want your BLT. But I’d skip the L.
Oh my goodness gracious. My mouth is watering!!
That darn skinny yoga girl! That post is probably my favorite…. lovin’ those shmancy tomatos!
-Lena :)
Mmmmmm yummo!
Only one thing would make this better – avocado!
Totally agree. Perfection plus!
This looks incredible! If only I had time to put one of these babies together before the Hollywood Bowl tonight. *sigh* I guess a sandwich from Bay Cities will have to suffice, even if they do have major bread rivalry with La Brea Bakery. Have you ever tried making your own mayo? That’s on my list – right after trying to make my own ketchup. Spicy ketchup, at that.
bay cities! ohhh, sometimes i miss LA.
I just bought TWO $3 tomatoes at the farmer’s market (purple Cherokees, I think), and green chile focaccia bread from the local baker. Made THE best BLTs ever!! You rock, Joy! And, I’m pregnant, too, Jo – so, I guess I’m the fat, ever-eating, prenatal yoga girl at the moment… Give me that steak!! I’m going to put my other tomato on it.
umm, yes. yes indeed.
dude, that’s exactly what I’ve done with my ‘spensive tomatoes this summer! except mine come in my ‘spensive CSA share every week. and I use cheap bacon, plain jane mayo, and wheat bread (toasted. a’course.). I’m a poor nanny/athlete and holy hell, if this doesn’t just reaasure me about blowing the wad on the CSA…
oh those skinny yoga girls!
This post made me laugh.
You could put bacon on a piece of cardboard and I would probably eat it. That being said, there is nothing like a practically perfect heirloom tomato! By the way, here in the south, instead of “eat a steak” we say “Eat some biscuits!” Thought you might enjoy that. Love the post.
How is it you are not married to some really smoking hot guy by now?? oh , I get it, you have never made him THIS SANDWICH!!!! a.maze.ing. love! darling, I adore you and your blog, thank you for brightening my life. oh, and my hubby wants to say thank for this post, thru a mouthfull of ‘spensive tomato BLT nonetheless….sorry.
Jenn Post
I recently spent $29 on tomatoes at a farmers market. Those tomatoes were worth EVERY PENNY, though! Sliced and sprinkled with a little fleur de sel…oh man. I need to hold myself back.
I have spent a lot of money on some beautiful tomatoes and they were worth every penny!! I really love BLTs so great use of a tomato.
It just dawned on me that I do not know what an italian dressing is… suggestions?
Italian Salad Dressing : )
Italians dress their salad with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar, every one to one’s taste, of course, but in the shops one does not find a ready made italian salad dressing. This is why I thought that maybe there were other spices or herbs or something special.
XXX
When I have an expensive tomato, I eat it out of hand with good salt, leaning over the kitchen sink. I can still see my father in my mind’s eye, eating tomatoes still warm from his garden in exactly that way. I miss him, and the tomatoes he grew and shared.
I totally agree! A) Not only is the BLT one of my favorite sandwiches, I totally understand the quality time you must spend to pick out the perfect expensive tomato. B) Before i can even get to the point of picking th perfect one comes the internal struggle of justifying spending that much on a tomato… sometimes I win, sometimes not.
I live in Maine. Last year my tomato plants were a flop so this year I bought 16 of them. Half are heirloom and I am drowning in tomatoes! I wish I could share them with you Joy!
Yesterday, Ina made ABLT sandwhich on homemade bread (avacado, bacon, lettuce, and tomato). My bread is baking as I type, I’ll settle for my garden beef steak tomato, but this is tonight’s dinner!
want.
My heirloom tomato plant, out on my apt. patio, just started wilting and dying! I am so sad. I am very willing to pay way too much for a good tomato! But, you need to use Duke’s Mayo! I live in Atlanta and love my Duke’s.
OH MY!!! This looks AMAZING and I don’t even like tomatoes!! :) It might help that my most favorite thing in the WHOLE world is nice crispy BACON!!! YUM!!! I might just have to try this tomato and all… hmmm :)
That looks INSANELY good! There’s no going back to anything lesser after a sandwich like that. I had hoped to make BLTs with our own tomatoes, but they are pathetic this year. The heirlooms up here are $4.99 and I will not… I refuse to pay that! No way, I just can’t do it. Big sigh.
I can’t even imagine a $4 tomato. It would have to be dusted with gold flakes or something like that for me to buy it. But then again, yours looks so good that it just might be worth it.
Oooooh, BLT’s. Now you’re speaking my language.
Love. I do have fancy pants heirloom tomato plants. That I do. Mr. Stripey and the Brandywine have to go out and find some fancy lettuce to mingle with now for lunch.
I have paid that much for an heirloom tomato. It was so worth it. I roasted it on top of a tart and I savoured every bite…and then I ate the whole tart. I didn’t want to waste it! But I like the idea of a BLT, that way you can savour that flavour even more judiciously….yum! I salute you and your bread grilled in bacon fat. Booyah!
YUM!
Seriously, Joy, you are so awesome. BLTs are my favorite sandwich ever. Ever. But, you’re right: the ingredients — all of them — must be the best quality. Thanks for the post! Good call!
I so know what you mean about treating yourself to a fancy tomato. I did that the other week. Those heirloom tomatoes were “on sale” at whole foods for maybe $4/lb. I bought one and protected it like my first born (even though I don’t have any kids, but you know). Yeah..
Your posts always put such a smile on my face. Nobody finds more pleasure in food than you do, and it’s wonderfully contagious.
Okay, the part that got me…”the bread that you toasted in the residual bacon fat….”
And I just ate lunch, dammit!
Last night’s dinner: 1 heirloom tomato, Berkshire pork bacon, and Duke’s mayo. My husband was gone, so I got it all!
so, i think that i´m very lucky because i live in the south of Spain, and i can buy those tomatoes for 1 euro per kilo!!! it´s so expensive there, Thank you Joy for all your posts!!
I would DIE for that sammich.
DIE, I tell you.
I’ve been following your blog for over a year and this is my FAVORITE post ever! I love tomatoes and BLTs but you’ve got the set up on this one just PERFECTLY framed.
in the early spring, before i could even dream about backyard tomatoes, i bought 3 medium tomatoes for $8 :( i had to make sure no one in my house cooked with them, as they were designated for a cucumber/tomato/red onion salad. you don’t COOK with $8 tomatoes! but i had to have them, they were bright red and juuuuuiiicccy! i think they were grown organically in a hothouse?…. it’s one of those things where you indulge in something that you know will be satisfying and wonderful :) and they were.
Ahh fresh Heirloom tomatoes; being vegan I skip the bacon and eat them sliced and sprinkled with smoked maldon. Perfect every time!
Epic is most definitely the only word to describe that sandwich. It looks AH-MAZING (OK, that word works, too). And totally worth an expensive tomato!
omg i just spent over $5 on a huge heirloom tomato. my initial urge at checkout was to put it back but decided to buy it and not make a scene. turned out to be a good decision. i put about a quarter of it on a salad and then “mmmm mm mmmm-ed!” so much i rest of it in just one sitting. it was amazing. i will buy more $5 tomatoes in my future.
I LOVE BLTS! :) I am hitting the farmers market next week and will be on the lookout for an amazing tomato!
hilarious! and yummy! very very very yummy. good tomatoes are to be protected. :)
You can never go wrong with bacon! But I do love me a tomato sandwich. Toast some sourdough bread, a little mayo and a big slab(s) of tomato. Little salt and pepper. mmm.
I remember those tomoatoes!! I used to see them all the time when I lived in Florence, Italy…. Hmm, they are yummy but 4 dollars for one??? Ouch. (did you put any avacado with the bacon??)
Good Lord, that is one beautiful sandwich! Who knew there was such a thing as BLT porn!
I happen to adore BLTs — the bacon especially — and I adore your website. However, I felt somewhat insulted about the way you referred to the “skinny girl in yoga pants.” In fact, I am sometimes seen as one of those, and I eat more food (and steak) than any of my friends can imagine. Please know that the stereotype of us and our eating habits is not accurate, and since making fun of curvier girls is seen as disrespectful, poking fun at the more slender is no better.
I have a garden full of heirloom tomatoes. You could grow them in a pot. Nothing is better than that first BLT of the season, especially with an heirloom tomatoe.
We are a drop spot for a CSA and if you can believe it some weeks people don’t pick up their shares. I have been left with 20 lbs of heirloom tomatoes! My favorite way to have them is sliced with a sweet onion, crisp lettuce,some sort of slightly toasted sourdough bread with a slater of mayo. It is so good!
By the time I am down to the last two bites my elbows are dripping with juice!
I disagree with the it’s just mayo comment as well. Bad mayo can ruin a sandwich and believe me there are some really bad mayo’s out there. When not making my own and buying a commercial brand I used to be a Hellman’s girl until I tried the Spectrum canola mayo. Oh it is SO good. I highly recommend forking over the extra five bucks (yes it is ridiculously expensive)
I think I would also add a thin slice of cheese and savor every bite!