Book cover
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| Author | Michele Anna Jordan |
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| Language | English |
| Subject | Cooking |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | William Morrow Cookbooks |
Publication date | June 3, 2003 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 160 |
| ISBN | 0-06-008773-0 |
The BLT Cookbook was written by Michele Anna Jordan about the preparation of various types of "bacon, lettuce, tomato" (BLT) sandwiches. The cookbook was published by William Morrow Cookbooks in the United States in June 2003. Jordan is a food writer and has written for The Press Democrat; The BLT Cookbook is her 14th published book. She researched the book for ten years, and taste-tested hundreds of variations on the sandwich in the process. Jordan writes of her passion for the BLT sandwich in the book, describing it as America's most beloved sandwich. She instructs the reader on how to acquire and prepare the best ingredients for the sandwich. The book includes recipes with varying types of ingredients, though each recipe includes tomatoes. Many recipes in the book are not sandwiches, and include appetizers, soups, and salads. The author includes recipes for desserts and suggests wines to have with the sandwich.
The book was positively received, and the National Pork Board highly recommended it.[1] A review in The Detroit News commented that the book includes "mouthwatering recipes",[1] and the San Francisco Chronicle called it a "neat little book" on the subject.[2] The food editor for the Daily Herald noted that recipes in the book "will surely shake up your next toasted meal".[3] The Anchorage Daily News called it the "definitive book" on the BLT sandwich.[4]
Author Michele Anna Jordan is a food writer, and has contributed columns published in the food and wine section of The Press Democrat.[5] Jordan has written restaurant reviews for the San Francisco Chronicle.[2] The BLT Cookbook is Jordan's 14th book.[5] Other books by Jordan include The New Cook's Tour of Sonoma and California Home Cooking.[6] The author is the recipient of a 1997 James Beard Award and Small Press Cookbook of the Year Award.[6]
The author decided to write about the BLT sandwich after discovering it was a good remedy for morning sickness.[7] She found that others who frequented the food-lovers web site chowhound.com shared her love of the BLT.[7] Jordan spent ten years performing research for The BLT Cookbook, and spent a winter season writing the book.[8] During the research process, Jordan taste-tested hundreds of variations on the BLT sandwich.[8] In 2003, Jordan resided in Sonoma County, California.[9] In 2003 the author hosted two radio programs on KRCB-FM, "Mouthful with Michele Anna Jordan" and "Red Shoes Rodeo".[6][10] The year the book was published, the author crafted a large BLT sandwich at the Kendall-Jackson Tomato Festival which was 1,248 square feet (115.9 m2) in size.[11]
The book discusses the author's love of the BLT sandwich.[5] Jordan asserts that the BLT is "America's favorite sandwich".[12] The author comments of the sandwich, "There are times when the BLT just tastes right, primal and true, the best thing you could ever eat. The play of the salt and acid, the silk of the tomato against the salt crunch of the bacon ... It is sheer delight."[8] The BLT Cookbook presents ways that the combination can be presented in soups, appetizers, and salads.[5][12] Recipes are provided for multiple different takes on the BLT sandwich.[5] Jordan advises the reader, "Life is short. Live! Indulge! Slather!"[13]
Jordan writes that in order to make the best sandwich, one should select the finest ingredients.[14] "There is something magical about the combination of ingredients. It has everything. The smoky flavor, fat, the acid of the tomatoes, the lusciousness of the mayonnaise and toasted bread," she comments.[15] She recommends going to a local farmers market for fresh tomatoes, a butcher for choice bacon, and a bakery for fresh bread.[14] The author recommends mayonnaise brands Hellmann's and Best Foods,[14] and Niman bacon from California.[16] Regarding preparation of the lettuce, Jordan writes, "For lettuce, remove the first outer leaf and then use only the next three layers. Further in, iceberg lettuce gets a little cabbagey."[17]
The BLT Cookbook begins by presenting a recipe for mini cocktail selection of the BLT, followed by a larger version that is recommended for larger gatherings such as a picnic.[2] Non-traditional presentations of the BLT combination include recipes "Tomatoes Stuffed with Bacon Risotto", "Potato Soup with Tomatoes and Bacon" and "Tomato Bread Pudding".[12] The author presents varieties on the BLT that omit one of the ingredients.[12] "The Fisherman's BLT" is an alternative to the standard sandwich, instead utilizing seafood, and the "ZLT" uses zucchini, lettuce and tomato.[18] "At Pike Place Market in Seattle, there's a stand that offers wonderful salmon sandwiches. I've used that sandwich as inspiration for a BLT with salmon," writes Jordan.[19] The "Bacon, Leek and Tomato Strudel" is a dish that does not use bread.[12] All recipes presented in The BLT Cookbook utilize tomatoes.[12] Some of the final recipes presented in the book include bread pudding, strudel and tomato pie.[2] Selected wines that Jordan recommends having with the dishes in the book include a Rhone-style red, beaujolais, or pinot noir.[3]
"Not simply a cookbook, the little handbook is a discourse on the sandwich that is elegant enough to coax even the most virtuous eaters to gobble pork fat and mayonnaise with abandon."
The BLT Cookbook is "highly recommended" by the National Pork Board.[1] Kate Lawson of The Detroit News wrote that the book offers "mouthwatering recipes ranging from variations on the classic sandwich to soups, salads and pastas."[1] Karola Saekel of the San Francisco Chronicle commented, "Recipes for recommended basics like aioli and tomato concasse round out the neat little book."[2] Food editor Deborah Pankey of the Daily Herald wrote in her review of the book, "While giving the titled trio its due respect, author Michele Anna Jordan introduces a host of other ingredients that will surely shake up your next toasted meal (yes, she favors toast to help maintain the sandwich's structure.)"[3]
The Cincinnati Post noted, "Her book presents practically all the possibilities for BLT combinations as she leaves the two slices of white toast far behind".[7] Staff writer for ANG Newspapers, Jolene Thym commented on The BLT Cookbook, "Not simply a cookbook, the little handbook is a discourse on the sandwich that is elegant enough to coax even the most virtuous eaters to gobble pork fat and mayonnaise with abandon."[8] T.C. Mitchell of the Anchorage Daily News characterized The BLT Cookbook as the "definitive book" on the sandwich.[4]
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