Deconstructing and rearranging are a creative cooks best tricks.
We watch a lot of food shows. (BTW if you have not seen the “Chef’s Table” series on Netflix you are missing out on one of the most beautifully done shows ever, so check it out.) Top chefs are masters at deconstructing and rearranging. Thankfully we can do it as well.
I will end this post with a challenge for you.
I love sandwiches, they along with pizza are two of the most important food groups. In the sandwich world my two favorites are tuna salad and BLTs. Tuna salad should never be the sweet pickle stuff that was common in my child hood, dill pickle relish and garlic salt with a bit of Tabasco works so much better – yes I am opinionated, just ask Tricia, but this is my blog so I get to be that way.
Today though is about the BLT: bacon, lettuce and tomato. Just four ingredients: bacon, lettuce, tomato, bread, mayonnaise. Simple yet divine.
Deconstructing or rearranging, when it comes to cooking, is to take a standard food item, like the BLT, then change its structure, presenting the flavors in a new way. We take BLT wraps on picnics, same items different structure.
There really are no hard fast rules, you just let your creativity go to work. It is a bit like jazz, start with a simple melody then embellish it. Maybe make one ingredient larger, or make one smaller, or even substitute a new ingredient – possibly sautéed mushrooms instead of the bacon.
What about a small aperitif, the little nibble that the French have before they start eating. Take a crouton place it on a small leaf of green, scoop the seeds and juice out of a cherry tomato then place them on top of the crouton, then crumble a bit of crisp bacon and sprinkle on top. Or get crazy and sprinkle caviar instead.
So, this week I am offering a challenge to you. How could you deconstruct a BLT?
Hope you have fun, and maybe you will find something we all can enjoy.
theTravelsketcher 
Oh what a good challenge! Last week I had a deconstructed smoked salmon/cream cheese bagel. As to BLT….a canape sounds an excellent idea. Our local library cafe does a very good BLAT which is served on toast rather than as a sandwich. Anyway, I will need to think!
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Tricia like the avocado, not for me. I like avocado but not in stuff, avocado toast for example, loved by all, except me, give me my avocado on the side. Anything with salmon and cream cheese is good, love it.
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I do agree about cream cheese and smoked salmon. Avocado is a funny thing – not always good, hard to get right.
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Yep, I love food but some popular items are marginal for me, like kale. In small quantities and cooked, good stuff, but a raw kale Cesar, no way. I like a bit of basil pesto, but too often they slather it on so thick that all you taste is the basil, not so good.
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I do love a BLT wrap. For someone reason it seems healthier without all the bread but you can’t beat a BLT sandwich!
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Having been born in Northern Europe I am definitely not one to ask – I may bore you to death with a novel on the topic 🙂 ! Living here in Australia shall we add wraps to the story ! But never ever have two slices of bread or use white bread . , . breakfasts mostly consisting of a huge open sandwich alongside a mug of strong black coffee are likely to feature the black or rye kind piled with cottage cheese piled with raw herring or pickled anchovies piled with raw onion piled with dill . . , methinks you get the idea . ., . 🙂 !
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Sounds good, though not sure what part of OZ you are in. As one who has been there over 20 times, and from Perth to Tazy, I have never seen the kind of breakfast you described, unless I was in Scandinavia. Not sure how a flat white goes with herring though.
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Thanks for a lovely, literally ‘breakfast laugh’! Owing to circumstances I am residing 120 kms south of rhe Sydney CBD in the Southern Highlands. Not EVER within a cooee of a flat white 🙂 ! I was born in Estonia in the Baltics – and am describing a very usual breakfast there and here – this used to be the ‘Estonian Village’ for some 75 years! Actually, amongst my friends of all nations open sandwiches and wraps with the kitchen sink rolled up on them are the usual and tastier and healthier option . . , remember we truly ARE multi-cultural here !!!!!
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I haven’t eaten meat in over 28 years, but I miss my grandmother’s BLT sandwiches after seeing yours! 😋
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Thanks, we eat a bit of meat, lean much more on the vegetarian style. This reminds me, I used to make a “bacon” from large portobellos, I should try subbing that in a BLT. Hmmm…
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