Chicken-Fried BLT

Chicken-Fried BLT
by Willie Simmons
The Wine Dive recommends Simply Naked Merlot to be paired with this dish.

To serve: Toast two slices of bread. Spread Pinot Grigio Mayo on two toasted slices of bread. Add lettuce, sliced tomato, and chicken-fried bacon. Slice sandwich in half. Serve with fries or chips – diner’s choice.

Pinot Grigio Mayo:

½ cup Pinot Grigio

½ cup sweet onion, diced

1 egg
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup vegetable oil

In a saucepan, add the wine and the onions and reduce over medium-high heat until the wine and the onions equal about ¼ cup. Cool to room temperature.

In a blender, add the egg, the salt, the mustard, and the lemon juice and blend on high until combined. Add the wine and the onion mixture and again blend on high until combined. With the blender still on high and the plug removed from the top, drizzle the oil very slowly until the mayo forms. Put the mayo in a bowl, cover, and chill for one hour.

Chicken-Fried Bacon:

1 cup all-purpose flour

salt and pepper
buttermilk
thickly sliced bacon
peanut oil

Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.

Season the flour with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish. Add some buttermilk to a separate shallow dish. Dredge a slice of bacon in the buttermilk and then through the flour and then repeat the process. Fry the bacon until golden brown. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Repeat until you have enough bacon for a sandwich. No fewer than three slices and let’s not place a limit on the maximum.

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