The BLT From Scratch Challenge – It’s On Like Donkey Kong!

Oh my goodness…this little nugget came across two days ago and I am just now getting to it!

Chef Michael Ruhlman has issued a CHAL’LANGE (shouted in a faux french accent).

A collective challenge for all of you who really love to cook: Make a BLT from scratch.  No, this does not mean raising a piglet for the bacon or growing your own wheat to grind into flour.  Yes, extra credit for either, but I want this to be a challenge that everyone can accept, whether you live in a Manhattan walk-up or rural North Carolina, Alaska or suburban splendor: make a BLT from scratch, photograph it and send the photo to me.  If you blog, blog about it (and please link back to this post to encourage others to accept the challenge).

From scratch means: You grow your tomato, you grow your lettuce, you cure your own bacon or pancetta, you bake your own bread (wild yeast preferred and gets higher marks but is not required), you make your own mayo.  All other embellishments, creative interpretations of the BLT welcome. 

So Bacon Boy – you think you’re ready for the big time?  You know what…I DO!  I may not be the best chef but for too long I have sat and watched Food Network and read blogs admiring the food but not willing to take any initiative! I think it’s time that I stepped outside my comfort zone and cooked! I have been reading more and more about people curing their own back and I think I can really do this.  I already built a garden for Better Half this spring and we’ve got the tomatoes growing so I just need to plant a little lettuce. Then it’s off to a butcher to get my own belly!  Bread and mayo…that’s a cinch!

So there you go.  It’s on!  And now I have “content” throughout the summer (see how that works ).

Wish me luck.