How to Build the Perfect Sandwich- a BLAT

One of Life's Great Pleasures is Bacon

Yummy, yummy bacon

Did you know that Canberra's own Pialligo Farm Estate just won Australia's BEST Artisan Bacon at Australian Bacon Week? They very kindly gifted me a package to try and after tasting it, I can honestly say that the honour was well deserved indeed.
The bacon had a lovely smokey kiss, without being overpowering. The flavour was sweet and the bacon cooked up beautifully, not soggy at all just nice and crispy- yummo!

Plain old fried eggs and bacon seemed a bit prosaic for such an auspicious bacon, so I decided to give myself a real treat. BLT with a twist, actually a BLAT- Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato. Just one extra ingredient, but so much extra yum!

Obviously this Sandwich is fairly self explanatory, but just in case you've never heard of one of the best sandwiches in the world, this is how it goes...


The BLAT- a Technical Explanation

Now this is very important indeed... There is a very specific way to assemble a proper BLAT. If it's not done just right you will end up with a disaster- still tasty, but a real mess. Just follow me and I'll explain it as we go....

Bacon- preferably the best in Australia of course :)
Lettuce- I prefer Iceburg as it's got a nice crunch
Avocado
Tomato
then
gluten free Bread or Bread Roll
Mayonnaise or Garlic Aioli
Salt and Pepper to taste


Assemble cold ingredients- nice thick slices of tomato, whole leaves of lettuce- if you shred them they're not as crunchy, and slice the avocado as well

Pop the bacon on to fry

While toasting the bread- I like my bread to be warmed through but only toasted on the inside. Most cafes just pop the complete sandwich under a press and heat it that way, it's certainly a bit easier but not as perfect

Cook the bacon to desired degree of doneness- I like it still soft, but with a bit of crispiness on the edges

Smear aioli generously on warm toasty bread- this acts as a yummy barrier that stops any stray juices from soaking and sogging up the bread

Layer on the tomatoes- don't forget to season. These act as a nice solid base to keep the structural integrity intact

Next the Avocado- putting this on now means the seasoning from the tomatoes will stick to them as well and avoid it being too salty by seasoning twice. They also have just the right amount of 'give' when you take each bite, very necessary for sandwich satisfaction

Now the star of the show, BACON! A double layer is best for perfect bacon-to-everythingelse-ratio
Too little and you don't get the full benefit of the smokey, fatty goodness; and too much and the other ingredients don't get a chance to add the right amount of acidity and creaminess that will show off the bacon to it's best

Finally, the Lettuce- it needs to be on top. If it's on the bottom or in the middle, when you bite down it might slip away and break the whole stack. Not Good. Not good at all

The last piece of the perfect puzzle is the other bit of Bread. The yummy, sticky aioli grabs hold of the lettuce, and I find that the downward pressure when you grip a sandwich, means the lettuce is kept firmly in place and doesn't go slip sliding away

Perfect!
Eat while the bread is still warm, the tomato still cold, and the aioli melts just a little....Mmmm.....

So Dear Readers, did you know it was so technical to make a sandwich, and have you tried Pialligo Estate Bacon yet?


Thanks guys for my packet of deliciousness, and to find out more about Australia's Best Artisan Bacon, check them out here:
@pialligoestate #bacon, #baconweek
 Twitter @pialligoestate Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PialligoEstate Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/pialligoestate/ Instagram http://instagram.com/pialligoestate or their blog http://pialligo.estate/2014/06/15/pialligo-estate-and-farm-1-winter-2014/



 

Anzac Apple Crumble

It's past the Winter Solstice- the shortest day of the year


This means that the weather gets colder, the snow on the mountains creeps lower, and it's definitely time for comfort food


Apples have been a ridiculous price lately, only 99c per Kilo, so when I staggered in with about 5 kilos the other day MiddleC and littlej both screamed "Apple Crumble!" After a brief negotiation over who would peel that many apples, I agreed

I always use coconut in my crumble recipe, I think it adds a lot of crunch and texture, and the addition of gf oats really does make it taste like a traditional Anzac Biscuit recipe. So despite it being July instead of April 25th, here we have one of my Family's Comfort Food Favourites- Anzac Apple Crumble!


Yummy Topping Ingredients

Anzac Apple Crumble

Whole heap of Apples
1 cup gf Oats
1 cup shredded Coconut
1/2 cup gf Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup melted Butter
1/4 cup Golden Syrup
big pinch Salt



Peel and chop your apples into nice big chunks. If you chop them too small they'll just break down into mushiness

Pop them into a fairly shallow greased dish

Mix together everything else

The best way to do this is to use your hands and squish, squish, squish away

Pat the crumble topping evenly over the apples- make sure it's not too loose but fairly nice and compact

Bake at 170*C for between 45 mins and an hour, or until the topping is nicely browned and cooked through and the apples are softened inside

Let the crumble sit for about 15minutes or so to set the topping

Dish up lovely big spoonfuls and serve with lots of lovely lactose free cream, ice cream or custard

Gorgeous crunchy topping, soft juicy apples, softly smooth cream.... yummo!

So Dear Readers, do you have a Family Favourite dessert, and how are you keeping warm this Winter?




 

Savoury Mushroom Custard Cups

It's cold outside

Very, very cold. The rain is pelting and snow is falling on the mountains, so with a severe weather warning for our district I'm definitely hunkering down inside for the foreseeable future

Staying indoors means I'm not getting any sun (not that it's shining anyway!) and that means my Vitamin D levels aren't getting the top up they need to keep me as healthy and happy as I should be

Did you know that mushrooms are an important source of Vitamin D, and that they can soak up even more by exposure to sunlight or other UV lighting? I figured I need all the help I can get so I decided to set some of my Mushroom Bounty out in the sun over the weekend before it disappeared behind the sleet. Now I don't know if this trick works on already harvested mushrooms, but I figured it was worth a go, right? **Update- Yes, it really does work!**

To check out the health benefits of mushrooms and how they can naturally boost your levels of Vitamin D, check out Here to find out more about the Mighty Power of Mushrooms 


Soaking up some rays!

For me?

Full of Vitamin D, can you tell the difference? :)

Now that the Mushrooms have absorbed all that healthy Vitamin D, it's my turn- what better way than to bake them up into a yummy lunch that will warm me up and make me healthy too!



Savoury Baked Mushroom Custard Cups

1 cup lactose free Cream
1 cup lactose free Milk
6 Eggs
6 Mushrooms
3 slices gluten free Bread
3 slices Bacon
1/2 cup lactose free Cheese- I used Goat Cheese as I can tolerate it
1 clove Garlic
Drizzle of Oil
Seasoning


Pop the mushrooms, bacon and bread on a baking tray

Grate over the garlic, then drizzle with the oil

Bake for 15 minutes or until it's all nicely crispy and crunchy

A few extra yummies

Combine the eggs, cream, milk and seasonings. Beat together until combined well

Divvy up the cheese and the crispy, baked goodies into some ramekins

Fill up with the eggy mix. Let them sit for 15minutes or so, then top them up again

Bake at 160*C in a water bath for about 45mins to an hour, or until the tops are set and the custard has just a little wobble in the middle. It will take a little longer than you'd expect because of the fillings

Slightly puffed and pretty

You can eat these piping hot from the oven right away, or leave them to set for about 20 minutes when you can turn them out and they should be able to hold their own weight

I personally think these little lovelies look much prettier turned upside down with their pale underbelly showing. They have been exposed to the sunlight, but there's not much of a tan-line showing here :)

Chock full of goodies and healthy Vitamin D. In this case I definitely think Vitamin D stands for Delicious!

Don't forget that Buying Local is Best, and I would like to thank Australian Mushroom Growers Buy Local Campaign and Majestic Mushrooms of Murrumbateman for providing me with such lovely local specimens

For more information on this campaign and the wonderful health benefits of mushrooms, check out:
 Facebook: powerofmushrooms

 Twitter @Mighty_mushroom

 Instagram: powerofmushrooms

 Pinterest: powerofmushrooms

 Website www.powerofmushrooms

 Hashtag #powerofmushrooms 

So Dear Readers, do you think you get enough Vitamin D, and how's the weather at your place today?

Baked Breakfast-With-The-Lot Mushrooms

I really like the idea of breakfast


I have whole cookbooks and clipped folders devoted to awesome recipes and morning munchies

I do eat breakfast, but I don't really enjoy it first up in the morning. I'd much rather wait a while and enjoy it properly when I've had time to wake up a bit, more of a brunch thing actually. BigJ really likes a proper breakfast, one that has all the necessities- eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, toast and mushrooms. I like a breakfast that has all this yumminess without a whole heap of effort or mess, after all, standing at a hot pan in my PJ's isn't all that appealing. There had to be a better way.....

As I'm having my own little Mushroom Week here at the InTolerant Chef, working with Australian Mushroom Growers and promoting the Power of Mushrooms, I wanted to show how lovely they would be in a tasty baked breakfast or brunch dish that still included all the basics of a good, old fashioned, Breakfast with the Lot but with a lot less hassle- yummo!

Baked Breakfast-With-The-Lot Mushrooms
Per Serve:

1 large cap Mushroom
1 gf Sausage
1 Egg

Extras:
gf Bread
halved Tomatoes
Bacon



When choosing your mushroom, pick ones that have a really nice deep cap. Carefully remove the stems from the mushrooms. Make sure they sit nice and flat on a tray- trim a little slice off the top if you need to

Very carefully crack an egg into the cup of each mushroom- this is why it needs to be nice and deep

Slit the side of the sausage to get to the goodness within
You can use any mince or sausage you like for these lovelies. I choose a gf pork and fennel one that I thought sounded nice, but a chorizo would be great too

Form each sausage into a patty that's large enough to fit over one of your mushrooms. Wet hands are a really good tip if the meat is sticky

Place the patty gently over the egg, making sure you don't break the yolk. Then carefully pinch the edges of the patty around the rim of the mushroom. Don't leave any little gaps or the egg might leak out. Season everything well with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a bit of oil if you like

Place the mushroom, tomatoes and bacon on a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes on 180*C. You want the sausage to be cooked through and the mushroom and tomato to be hot and softened

Look how nice and brown they've gone! I popped my bread in to toast for the last 5 minutes or so as well- why bother with the toaster when the oven's already on, right :)

Serve up your delicious breakfast on plates you also warmed up in the oven while your breakfast baked. How civilized- no standing at the stove, no splattering fat. You could even prepare all these the night before and have the tray ready to pop in the oven while you boil the kettle for your morning cup of tea- easy peasy!

Now, I baked these for 20 minutes as I got slightly distracted ... they were still delicious, but think how perfect they would be with a gorgeous, oozy yolk- yummo indeed!

So Dear Readers, do you like a leisurely brunch, or do you bolt down a quick muesli bar and cup of coffee on the way to work?

Thanks again to Majestic Mushrooms and the Australian Mushroom Growers Buy Local Campaign  for supplying me with such yummy produce. Find out more about them over Here  

 

For more information on this campaign and the wonderful health benefits of mushrooms, check out:
 Facebook: powerofmushrooms

 Twitter @Mighty_mushroom

 Instagram: powerofmushrooms

 Pinterest: powerofmushrooms

 Website www.powerofmushrooms.au

 Hashtag #powerofmushrooms