The BLT is a crowd-pleaser at any time of year, but when tomatoes are at their peak during the summer, this sandwich is good enough to be the star of the party. Over at Saveur, they have some ideas for organizing an easy and economical BLT party for a crowd.
Winnie Yang throws an annual BLT party for around 50 guests, and she shares her tips for planning and timing an even like this. Almost everything can be done ahead of time, she points out, like making homemade mayonnaise the week before. The exception is the bacon, which she starts cooking on sheet pans in the oven just before the party starts, because she likes the contrast of warm bacon with cool lettuce and tomato. (We do too!)
The article not only has tons of advice, its enthusiasm for BLT parties is so infectious you might find yourself itching to plan your own before tomato season ends.
• Check it out: How to Throw a BLT Party at Saveur
Do you have any tips for throwing a BLT party?
Related: Recipe: BLT Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
(Image: Flickr member a loves dc licensed under Creative Commons)
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
What about adding a batch of brown-sugar candied bacon? So easy, so good!
I also suggest homemade tempeh fake-on: strips of tempeh tossed with smoked paprika and salt, then either pan-fried in a bit of oil or brushed with oil and baked. Nothing can replace bacon, but this smoky-salty taste is fantastic, especially if you get it crispy on the outside.
mmmmmmmm blts.
I think I'll have to have this for dinner now... I am sold on that picture. I love the idea of candied bacon too, YUM!
I am so excited for this. We normally throw a big bash for our son's birthday, simply as an excuse to get everyone one we know together. Money's a little tighter this year, so I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do for food. This, along with a homemade ice cream bar, is perfect!
Sounds like a fantastic idea. BLTs were a staple in our house as a kid. We always had a surplus of garden tomatoes. I am less particular about my bacon and more so about my tomatoes. I haven't found any store bought and unfortunately even farmer's market bought tomatoes that compare with my Mom's home grown Nebraska tomatoes.
Baking bacon in the oven is the only way to do it, in my mind. No more standing over a hot stove getting splattered with grease and dealing with bacon in stages (some cold, some blazing hot). It takes a little more electricity, but evenly cooked bacon all ready at the same time? Heaven. Ditto the bacon fat, which doesn't have any burnt bits in it and can easily be reclaimed for other uses. Yum.
My new favorite breakfast is actually the BEAT. Bacon strips, a fried egg, avocado, and tomato. Plus a little hot sauce. SO GOOD. No lettuce needed.
A neighbor of ours threw a block party and called it a "tomato sandwich party." She had a few different types of bread, slices of tomatoes, 3 kinds of lettuce, 2 types of bacon, slices of grilled chicken, roasted veggies, many types of homemade mayo and mustards, and some fresh basil. Along with fancy chips and homemade tarts. I was so impressed with the spread and it was a great idea for a hot summer night.
Quick comment about "multiple toasters" -- a simple way to avoid shorting a circuit [if you're really trying to toast bread for, say, ten or more sandwiches at once?]: keep the oven running and use a couple hot jelly roll pans -- slap the bread slices or bagels in a 350 oven and set the timer for 5-10 minutes. By the time you've mixed your bloody mary, your bread will be warm and ready -- all crunch, no power outage. :-0)
That's a great idea.