Who doesn’t love a BLT? Particularly now, when you can still get some nice, fresh garden tomatoes (at least in the Southern part of the country). It’s one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I was excited to try this recipe.
A couple of years ago, I really discovered making my own salad dressing – on the fly, or a bit ahead. A friend in TX (whose mother was from France) had often mentioned one of her wonderful memories of her mom in the kitchen was whipping up a dressing for a salad at the last minute, which got me inspired. So that part was also up my alley. Though the one that I normally make has a bit of lemon and honey – a little lighter really. But no matter. 
One thing I’ve noticed lately is that Arugula is getting wimpy! I don’t know if it’s my source, because it’s organic, or what, but it’s not really the same anymore. I may have to just go back to spinach or other greens, but I love the flavor… I guess I need to do some investigation! But I did get my ingredients together for the salad.
Once I was getting ready to put it together, I remembered that I’d just caught up with another FrenchFridays recipe – the slow-roasted tomatoes, so I made a substitution at the last minute. So after cooking the bacon, toasting the crumbs in the drippings (yum!!), slicing a few of our last cherry tomatoes from the garden – I was ready to assemble the salad.
With all of those great ingredients, the salad looks pretty good – and tasty too. As I was putting it
together, though, I wondered about the eggs. As it turns out – maybe a a bit much. And who knew that a salad could be a bit too rich? But this was for me. I probably overdressed the greens, but just the combination of the roasted tomatoes, the bacon, the dressing, the eggs, the mayonaise, the bread toasted in bacon drippings… well.
I did like the recipe, and really loved the individual deconstructed parts. It was fun to make something that was “arranged”, and it did turn out to be attractive and tasty. But I probably like the classic a bit more.
After making the salad one night, I still wanted more of that bacon and tomato combination – unfortunately, no more bread, so I decided to make some muffins! They are one of the things I make a lot (easy to make, easy to share – homey goodness!). Since I had bacon left over, and still more of the slow-roasted tomatoes, I thought – why not?
Corn Muffins with Bacon, Tomatoes & Cheese
- 1 c flour
- 1 c corn meal
- 1 T baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 T fresh herbs, chopped (I used sage, but basil, parsley or chives are great!)
- 3/4 c shredded cheese
- 1/2 c roasted tomatoes in their oil (or 1/4 c oil or butter, melted)
- 1 egg
- 1 c milk
Prepare a 12-muffin pan. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Stir together the dry ingredients. Add the herbs and cheese if you are using. In another bowl, 
mix together the tomatoes with their oil, the egg and milk. Very gently mix the liquids into the dry mixture, using as few strokes as possible. The batter should be lumpy with no clumps of dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. You can top with a little extra cheese if you think of it. Bake for about 20 – 22 minutes until nicely browned. Once removed from the oven, using the tip of a knife, tip the muffins up in the pan to allow them to cool.
These muffins were best cooled, with the additions noted here. Without the flavorings, they are great either warm or cooled. Hope you enjoy!
dulceshome 
Great post. Amazing how different our tastes are today, as you hinted to in the article. I mean, we used to eat eggs fried in a half inch of bacon fat. Would be interested in another try, at a slightly less “rich” level that you end up liking better.
your muffins are intriguing! Glad you were able to catch up! I made the slow roasted toms a few times after the first time and used it for so many things! 🙂 Glad you liked them too!