There aren't many things I brag about - except the fact that, back in 1997, I learned how to play pool well enough not to embarrass myself.

And I stopped bragging about that in the early aughts.

But I do make the world's best BLT. It's not bragging if it's true, right?

The trick is rye bread, pickled jalapenos and parmesan cheese. Honest and for true.

This time around, though, I also upped the ante by pickling my own jalapenos and Hungarian wax peppers.

Pickled Peppers (Based on David Lebovitz's recipe)

4 hot peppers, whatever you have on hand

1 cup of white distilled vinegar

1 cup of water

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of peppercorns

1 tablespoon of coriander seeds

Wash the peppers, then puncture them each 3 times with a knife. Put them in a canning jar. Bring the vinegar, water, bay leaves, peppercorns and coriander seeds to a boil. After the brine comes to a boil turn the heat down and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour brine over peppers, let come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Leave unopened in refrigerator for a week to reach optimal flavor. Use within a month - but they've never lasted that long in our apartment.

BLT

4 slices of rye bread

8 slices of cooked bacon

Dijon

4 large lettuce leaves

10 slices of plum tomato

2 large slices of red onion

1 tablespoon of pickled jalapeno, chopped

1/3 cup of shredded parmesan

Pepper

Lightly toast the bread, and spread dijon on the toast making sure to cover every inch of it. Crumble bacon and discard the fat. Layer ½ of the bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno and cheese on each sandwich.

The jalapenos and dijon give the sandwich a great heat, and the parmesan's saltiness makes the bacon and vegetables sing. I'm not going to apologize for the fat and sodium, a sandwich like this would only be offended by the suggestion of imperfection.

Serves 2 happy people.

(Photos by Launie Kettler)

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