blt with fried egg and cheese

"Is there any better, more noble, more magical animal than the pig?" - Anthony Bourdain

I'm pretty sure California sunk another inch into the Pacific when bacon actually didn't make Mattin Noblia's veloute better in this season's Top Chef. Unless it's due to religious, cultural reasons or God-forbid you're vegetarian/vegan, bacon is pretty much a staple all around America. From the young on pacifiers to the elderly on Crestor, Lisinopril and baby aspirin, it's an absolute breakfast classic. I have yet to see a Sunday breakfast or brunch in the South without a side of bacon and to think otherwise would be proposterous.

Let's face it: the BLT is a pretty simple dish to make, if it's even considered one. 2 slices of bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato: done (Gordon Ramsay's F Word anyone?). It really is that simple and the difference between a good BLT and an awesome BLT (remember, it has bacon so it automatically starts off good) are the ingredients. It's pretty straightforward I think, just like my pharmacology notes. Better ingredients make better food. Your job when you have these ingredients is to not screw it up. That means unless you cook the bacon into charcoal, somehow screw up slicing a tomato, destroy the lettuce leaves or in some way possible misplace those ingredients between two slices of bread, you will have a great BLT.

I saw Thomas Keller make a BLT the other day and he paired it with an overeasy fried egg and melted cheese. It was delicious and I'm glad I made his version instead of the usual combo. I mean, yolk and melted cheese with bacon...it's hard to screw that up.

 (Luna Bakery sourdough, organic tomato/lettuce, cage-free egg, Applegate Farms peppered bacon)

BLT with Fried Egg and Cheese
Adapted from Thomas Keller, Serves 1. Explained Gordon Ramsay Style

Ingredients:
- 2 slices of bread, toasted
- 4 slices of bacon, baked (or panfried)
- 1 slice of mozarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 slice of tomato
- 2 leaves of lettuce
- 1 fried egg, overeasy

1) Bacon, bake 400 degrees F. 15-20 minutes.
2) Tomato, slice.
3) Lettuce, tear.

4) Bacon, out. Bread, in. Toast.
5) Hot pan. Butter. Egg. Fry.
6) Melt cheese over one slice of bread.
7) Combine: bread, tomato, bacon, egg, lettuce
8) BLT with fried egg and cheese: done.