Back to School

A Love Letter to the BLT

August 28, 2014

Every week we take a peek inside the lunches of the luckiest kids in Brooklyn. Read on, suppress your jealousy, and get a little brown bag inspiration.

This is less lunch note and more love letter to summer's best lunch: the BLT. Late August is the sandwich's seasonal apex, and the BLT is not well-suited to the lunchbox where it gets soggy and charmless. As a parent freed of packed lunches for two weeks, my plan has been to serve my kids as many BLTs as possible. 

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I probably can't teach you anything new about making a BLT (though I will share my favorite trick, learned from 'Wichcraft, which is to toast just one side of the bread and turn the toasted side inward, so you still get a crunchy bite but you don't cut your gums on the bread!). You can see I used heirloom tomatoes and a few gold cherry tomatoes, and basil instead of lettuce. I guess this makes it a BBT technically -- a variation I'd recommend even to purists.

Happy Labor Day, all -- next week, it's back to the lunch box!

What's in your lunch today? See some of the twins' past lunches

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Join The Sandwich Universe co-hosts (and longtime BFFs) Molly Baz and Declan Bond as they dive deep into beloved, iconic sandwiches.

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See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • 10 Legs in the Kitchen
    10 Legs in the Kitchen
  • michelle
    michelle
  • Marian Bull
    Marian Bull
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • Amanda Hesser
    Amanda Hesser
Amanda Hesser

Written by: Amanda Hesser

Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I've written several books, including "Cooking for Mr. Latte" and "The Essential New York Times Cookbook." I played myself in "Julie & Julia" -- hope you didn't blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.

6 Comments

10 L. September 8, 2014
That is a happy looking BLT and I love the cutting board.
 
Amanda H. September 9, 2014
Thanks!
 
michelle September 1, 2014
you probably get asked this all the time but, how old are your kids? i couldn't imagine my 5 year old eating all that yummy stuff.
 
Amanda H. September 3, 2014
Hi Michelle, my kids are now 8 but they've eaten this way since they started on solid food. I think they're pretty open minded eaters for kids, and we serve them the same food we eat with no "outs" -- there are a couple of foods they don't like -- eggplant, for example -- but they eat most other things.
 
Marian B. August 28, 2014
My grandmother has that same cutting board!! And I feel the same way about open-faced tomato-mayo sandwiches, which have been my lunch all week.
 
AntoniaJames August 28, 2014
By sheer coincidence, today I'll be enjoying this "Vegan Dinner Moonlighting as Lunch": https://food52.com/recipes/23748-black-bean-and-corn-burgers, with a cup of this cheerful, intensely flavored soup + extra lime https://food52.com/recipes/30665-very-cool-delightfully-gingery-carrot-soup . Yesterday (and the day before - I love this stuff), it was Genius seed and nut loaf from My New Roots, toasted and then topped with lightly mashed avocado, Maldon salt and freshly ground pepper, thanks to this https://food52.com/blog/6822-the-avocado-toast-fan-club . I'm fortunate to be able to eat three interesting, tasty meals a day, the vast majority of which are inspired, and/or recipes are provided, by Food52. ;o)