Fried Green Tomato BLTs with Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

• Buy our favorite gourmet pimento cheeses try 4 new flavors - Red Clay Gourmet Pimento Cheese's

or

• If you prefer to make it homemade follow this:
• For the Pimento Cheese
• 1 cup white cheddar, grated
• 1 cup yellow cheddar, grated
• 1 oz pimentos
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• For the sandwiches:
• 1 large green tomato or 2 small ones, sliced
• ¼ tsp salt (for the tomatoes)
• ¼ cup cornmeal
• ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 slices cooked bacon
• 4 slices toast (I used Texas Toast)
• 1 cup arugula

Instructions

1. Start by slicing the tomatoes and salting them. Set aside for 20-30 minutes. This is important because it draws the water from the tomatoes so you don’t get soggy fried green tomatoes.
2. If you wanted to skip the steps of making pimento cheese, you can buy it. Making pimento cheese takes about 5-10 minutes but it does require a few ingredients so if you aren’t up for the challenge, grab a container at the store.
3. To make the pimento cheese, combine the grated cheeses, the pimentos, cream cheese, mayonnaise, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Stir until combined. Set aside or refrigerate for later.
4. Before you make the fried green tomatoes, get the bacon and bread ready for assembly. I usually just place the bread in the toaster so I can toast it up when the tomatoes get close.
5. Once the tomatoes have drained, pat them dry.
6. In a bowl, add the buttermilk. In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
7. Add the butter to a saucepan and allow it to melt.
8. Dredge each tomato individually in the buttermilk then the cornmeal crust. Add them to the pan, careful not to overcrowd.
9. Once the tomatoes have cooked for 1-2 minutes and are browned on one side, flip them and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
10. Remove the tomatoes onto a paper towel lined cookie sheet or a cooling rack.
11. Continue dredging then cooking the tomatoes until complete.
12. To assemble, spread a layer of pimento cheese on each side of the toasted bread. Add the fried green tomatoes, 2 slices of bacon, and arugula.
13. Cut in half and enjoy!