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Mini-BLTs

Source of Recipe


From "The Best American Recipes 2003-2004"






List of Ingredients



• 16 slices Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread (do not use toasting bread; it is too thick)
  
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
  
• 1 lb. sliced bacon
  
• 1-1/4 lbs. cherry tomatoes
  
• 3 to 4 Tbsp Hellman's mayonnaise
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  






Instructions



1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F). With a rolling pin, flatten each slice of bread to cardboard thinness (cutting off the crusts will facilitate this). Cut 4 rounds from each slice with a 2-inch cookie cutter. Press the rounds into mini-muffin pans to form shallow cups and bake until colored, about 6 to 7 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes, then invert onto a rack and let cool to room temperature. These can be stored in an airtight container for several days; their texture should remind you of toast: crisp yet slightly soft on the inside, without being tough or brittle.
   
   
2. Choose the largest and most perfect lettuce leaves. Cut out the toughest ribs and cut the leaves into strips 3/4-inch wide. Piling up a few strips at a time, cut them crosswise into fine shreds about 1/16-inch wide. Stop when you have 1-1/4 cups.
   
   
3. Fry bacon until very crisp; drain and crumble into pieces the size of peppercorns.
   
   
4. Halve the cherry tomatoes, squeeze out seeds and juice and cut the flesh into 1/8-inch cubes. You should have 1-1/4 cups.
   
   
5. Combine bacon, lettuce and tomato in a large bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, adding a little more if needed to bind the mixture; be very careful not to add so much that the filling is soggy. Season with salt and 8 to 12 turns of the pepper mill. Fill each bread cup with a generous portion of the BLT mixture and serve immediately.
   
   Makes 64 canapes.