A little something to go with tomatoes fresh out of the garden ...

[In_The_Wind]

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[sir pball]

1. Better yet if you've got a row of red leaf lettuce next to the tomato plants..

We raised pigs when I was a kid, it literally never got better than lettuce and tomatoes still warm from the sun with last year's bacon, on lightly toasted country bread from the local bakery...and about a quarter cup of Hellmann's, sometimes homemade just isn't right

[In_The_Wind]

3. Sounds like a perfect combination.

And, Hellmann's is my favorite.

I love hearing happy childhood memories. Thanks

[sir pball]

5. Homemade mayo is amazing and has many wonderful uses..

I make the best tuna sandwich you'll ever have with poached #1 loin...but on a BLT there is nothing better than Hellmann's!

Funny, true story too, about mayo - it keeps better at room temp. I keep my open half-used jar in the cupboard!

[In_The_Wind]

6. There are many things I haven't tried yet, homemade mayo is one of them.

I have an open mind about most foods. However I draw the line at exotic tidbits like chocolate covered grasshoppers.

Mayo hangs around here for months. I don't think I'll try leaving it out that long.

[sir pball]

7. It's just food chemistry..

Mayo is 90% oil which doesn't ever spoil; when you add enough lemon and salt to make it tangy and delicious you're bringing the actual pH down to around 3 - which is pushing vinegar territory. Even if you want to refrigerate it, let it sit out at room temp for 6 hours or overnight; high-acid environments kill bacteria better at higher temperatures.

You can trust me...I have a chemistry degree, a ServSafe, and my NYC Qualifying Certificate in Food Protection.

[grasswire]

12. say what?

You keep your hellman's in the cupboard?

But in my experience, mayo that sits out a while becomes transparent and freaky.

No?

[sir pball]

14. If it gets warm...that breaks the emulsion

Mayo is, as I said, 80-85% oil with a tiny bit of egg yolk and lemon juice "whipped into" it. There's so much lemon relative to the yolk that it lasts forever - but if you get it too hot, the little bit of lemon and egg "break" out of the oilr and you get clear grease with icky chunks in it.

Then again, that's when it gets hot...if mayo does that on your counter, either your kitchen is over 140 or the mayo is flawed. If it's store-bought, well, it's your kitchen - even the cheapest store-brand is just oil, yolk and lemon.

In other words, no, it shouldn't get "clear and freaky"...even if you leave it in the cupboard, store-bought mayo should look exactly like the day you bought it for four to six months unless it hits 140F.

[KamaAina]

21. Hold the mayo, please

there's a place in the trendy part of Oakland that serves a BLAT: bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato. And no mayo.

edit: I do, however, have access to fresh California 'maters, from a coworker's garden. She brings 'em in by the basketful!

[sir pball]

22. I was going to shriek "sacrilege", but avocado is an acceptable substitute.

Sounds like a good idea for lunch actually..

[antiquie]

2. To clarify,

I only eat lounge bacon -- it's the best.

[In_The_Wind]

4. Lounge bacon ???

Do you know something I don't know?

[antiquie]

8. I don't indulge in flesh-eating,

but since Lounge-bacon is virtual, no problem.

Sigh, no one understands me.

[csziggy]

9. Now I want a BLT!

That's not fair - I have no bacon, no tomatoes, no lettuce, and no good bread in the house.

My second favorite way to eat tomatoes is a broiled tomato cheese sandwich. Slice the tomato really thin, put mayo and brown mustard on two slices of bread, tomato slices on one side, cheddar cheese on the other side, put under broiler of toaster oven until cheese melts.

The tomato will be warm and soft and the cheese all melty. It's very messy to eat but delicious. I've also made it as an open faced sandwich with the tomato and cheese on a single slice, then fry an egg sunnyside up and slide on top.

[mackerel]

18. Sounds delish...I'd also add pickles

[Aristus]

10. I don't know if anyone automatically thinks wine as an accompaniment to a sandwich, but...

a nice, simple table wine would go well with that. I'm thinking a glass of a Columbia Crest red would be nice. Or two glasses. Or three...

[sir pball]

15. Never underestimate a rose, friend..

Too many people fall into "Not white, so, RED" when they should get a solid, mineral, crsipy rose. Commanderie de Perasol and Chateau Pibernon spring to mind.

[mackerel]

19. We had a lovely Ambiance Rose' yesterday

it's from Delicato and I was pleasantly surprised.

[sir pball]

20. Rose is not "blush" and "blush" is not rose

NEVER confuse them. One is good for Cali girls and one is a Real Wine.

And I didn't mean to accuse you of drinking either..

And I'm done for the evening

[LiberalEsto]

11. Give me a couple slices of good bread

and some mayonnaise, salt and pepper to make a tomato sandwich, and I'm in ecstasy.

[grasswire]

13. I saw a new tiechnique the other day in the newspaper.

For a tomato sandwich. Take a stem with multiple cherry tomatoes on it. GRILL IT on the stem. Then remove the tomatoes and smush with some good cheese on good bread.

Apparently grilling the tomatoes on the stem imparts terrific tomato flavor.

I'm going to try it.

[easychoice]

16. Wait a minute!

this poll looks kinda one sided!

[In_The_Wind]

23. Indeed

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. Everything goes with fresh tomatoes

and everything goes with bacon. Can't go wrong with either.