Fried Green Tomato BLT Recipe courtesy Nick Melvin...

Courtesy photo Melvin in action in the kitchen at Rosebud Restaurant in Atlanta.

The month of August as a kid meant three things to me: my summer vacation was about to come to a halt, my birthday was only a month away, and my family would venture out to North Carolina to visit my grandparents on their farm. Whenever we would get to the farm in the mid-afternoon my grandmother would have a platter of deviled eggs, pimento cheese with soda crackers, and BLT's with the summer's best tomatoes on the simple sandwich. Since those days past, the simple BLT sandwich has always been a source of comfort to me. When I had the opportunity to run a kitchen and bring out these same memories of comfort through food to my guests, but with a twist, I couldn't pass it up. This is where the Green Tomato BLT came from.

Remoulade:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon Creole mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 4 lemons, juiced
• 1 cup prepared horseradish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 gallons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallion
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Fried Green Tomatoes:

• 3 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 tablespoon cracked pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 egg
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon Creole seasoning
• 1/4 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 quart vegetable oil
• 1 green tomato, sliced into 3 thick slices
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• 2 (1/2-inch) slices pain de mie bread
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced into 4 thick slices
• 4 (1/4-inch thick) slices bacon, cooked until crispy
• 1/4 cup arugula

For the remoulade: Whisk the shallots, garlic, mustard, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice, horseradish, and salt and pepper, to taste. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the celery, parsley, and scallion. Reserve 1 tablespoon for the sandwich, and store the rest in the refrigerator for later use.

For the fried tomatoes: Combine the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Combine the flour with the Creole seasoning and garlic powder in another bowl.

Heat the oil in a 7-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until the oil reaches approximately 150 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Dredge the green tomato slices in the flour mix, then the egg wash, and then the flour mix again and set aside.

Once the oil is at the correct temperature, slowly place the green tomato slices in the oil. (Make sure the oil is no higher than half way up your pan.) Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Once golden on both sides, lift the tomatoes out and place on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble: Place the butter in a pan and melt over medium-high heat. Toast both sides of the bread.

Slather both sides of the bread with reserved remoulade. Then layer with fried green tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, bacon, and arugula and top with the remaining slice of bread.