Heirloom tomatoes , Sarah Owens photo .
I ’ll never blank out the moment I tasted my first tomato sandwich . Mrs. Dumesnil grew a half - dozen tomato plants in her back pace . I subsist a block and a one-half aside . Her son Craig is my womb-to-tomb chum . One daytime at lunch period , Mrs. Dumesnil fixed my first tomato plant sandwich on toasted white loot .
Few first tastes are so divine or linger in my memory like this . Rhubarb pie comes close , but I never learned how to bake a rhubarb pie . It was n’t heavy to subdue a simple tomato plant sandwich . And yet , well-nigh 60 after my love affaire begin , I inquire if the love apple sandwich might be mature for betterment .
Heirloom tomatoes, Sarah Owens photo.
I involve to make a confession . I am a tomato sandwich repeater . I start a paleo diet two weeks before my first tomato ripened in mid - July . ( I bulge warming up with store bought tomatoes in mid - June . ) fit cold turkey on love apple sandwich in former July was as gooselike as swan off gambling the sidereal day before the Kentucky Derby .
The basic full - blown tomato plant sandwich with bacon and lettuce was not on the menu for hunters and gatherers . Bacon pass muster on most paleo diets ; lettuce is good ; but love apple — members of the deadly nightshade house — may have a downside for some of you . And cavemen and women decidedly did n’t stock ashen loot or mayo .
My buddy , Ralph Haas , and I went to the Kentucky State Fair two weeks ago looking for inhalation . We wanted to essay advice from Farm Bureau Freddy and also to see what looked good in the tomato competition .
Ralph and I are in tomato plant product . ( That ’s stretching the truth . My Salvisa , Kentucky , neighbour Walter Monroe is a real manufacturer . Walter develop tomatoes for the Harrodsburg Farmer ’s marketplace . He has harvested 20 bushels of tomatoes this yr , each bushel weighing 53 pounds . ) Ralph and I grow a pair of tomato plant plant . Our goal is a steady supply of Lycopersicon esculentum for sandwiches , for as many week as Mother Earth will appropriate .
The commonwealth fair Lycopersicon esculentum competition stoke our pastime . We thought our homegrown tomatoes measure up to this year ’s entries . We take observation and are putting the world on observance : We will be entering our tomatoes next class at the Kentucky State Fair .
Farm Bureau Freddy is the prescribed Kentucky state fairish greeter . Freddy has been welcoming boys and girls to the fair since 1958 . I grew up with Freddy , then after I brought our kids to the fair . Now , my granddaughter gets cart to see Freddy .
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Ralph and I uneasily push past a couple of fairgoers to ask Freddy about his preferred tomato sandwich . Freddy , with barely a moment ’s hesitancy , his amplified voice add up from a hiding place nearby , said , “ Grilled white goner with tomato , bacon and NO mayonnaise . ”
No mayo ? This seems uncivilized , even for an outsized mannikin .
Ralph is a traditionalist . He likes his Lycopersicon esculentum sandwiches on toasted white Pepperidge Farm bread , slather with Hellman ’s mayo . Lettuce and a few slices of cucumbers are optional but rarely used . Homegrown tomatoes are indispensable . Ralph says , “ The crunch of the toast — and Sir Francis Bacon — is a gracious combination with the soft squishiness of the tomato plant … I always blanch and peel my tomatoes . Always . No exception . Like my mom taught me . ”
Smørrebrød
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His wife , Christy , argue that store bought tomatoes would be so much easier , but she miss the tip . These are Ralph ’s tomatoes ; his handcraft sandwich . And do n’t bury : Ralph ’s a player . Ralph will be a challenger at next year ’s Kentucky State Fair tomato competition .
Now to the bread decision . Sarah Owens gain ground this year ’s James Beard Award ( Baking and Desserts ) forSourdough : Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads , Sweets , Savories , and More . She ’s a pro . The talented nurseryman , forager and bread maker lives a block and a half from the beach in Rockaway , NY . Sarah is an advocator of scratch cooking and believes the purest ingredients , compound with simplicity , make the best sandwich . Her love apple sandwich choice is a Danish , open - face Smørrebrød , using a thick opus of sourdough - rye bread , smeared with a large helping of homemade mayonnaise . This is piled high up with slice of flavorful , heirloom tomatoes and christened with a little balsamico and a drizzle of good quality olive oil . Finish with a sprinkling of prank , fresh herb of option and flaked sea salt . Sarah suggests , “ Rather than eating with your hands , gently near the Smørrebrød with a knife and crotch . ”
Smørrebrød
Sarah ’s approaching book , Toast & Jam : Modern Pairings for Rustic Baked Goods and Sweet and Savory Spreads , includes recipes for buttermilk rye Bread , homemade mayonnaise and capered aioli sauce , as well as herbaceous plant and citrous fruit salts , all excellent ingredients for a fine tomato sandwich .
So , the tomato sandwich need n’t be on white toast .
I ’m hungry .
The memory of Mrs. Dumesnil ’s tomato sandwich is still fresh . Homegrown tomato are mature . Sarah ’s Smørrebrød looks tasty ; so does Ralph ’s go - to sandwich .
I ’m twist a blind middle on my paleo diet until recent blight or first freeze cut down my tomato plants .
In the interim , with my good Charlton Hesston accent , “ Do n’t even think about prying a brisk tomato sandwich out of my mitt . ”
