FuzzyChef Food & Pottery

A little while ago the Washington Post taste-tested various "fake bacon" products -- which I'm hereafter calling "facon" -- with some surprising results. They decided that supermarket-standard brand Morningstar Farms (see endnote) was actually pretty good, and worked as a reasonably convincing facsimile of fried bacon.

This was doubly surprising for me. Morningstar Farms first came out with a facon back in the 80s, just as my family had transitioned to keeping Kosher. We tried it immediately, and were treated to strips that tasted like we'd simply cut up the box and fried it instead.

So, I had to try this.

We bought a box of the Morningstar. The strips come in a tightly-packed stack, and uncooked have a texture like chewing gum strips. I was dubious, but I put several strips in a pan with some vegetable oil and fried them. They cooked much faster than the instructions suggested; I was taking them off the heat in less than 2 minutes per side. I'll try cooking them on lower heat next time.

Once they cooled enough to eat, my bacon-loving sweetie tried a bite.

"That's disturbing," she said.

"Bad?" I asked.

"No, these really taste like some kind of bacon. Super-thin sliced, burnt bacon. But bacon."

"Well, I did burn them a little."

My ability to judge was limited, simply because I haven't had fried bacon strips in over 20 years. They did, however, taste better than cardboard.

Note that Morningstar's facon is not vegan; it includes egg whites.

In summer, what does one do with fried bacon? Make a BLT, of course. Although since it's fake-bacon, I guess it's an FLT.

FLT

Per sandwich:

• 3-4 strips of Morningstar farms fake bacon
• 1 brioche bun, foccacia roll, or other soft sandwich roll, or slices of thick country bread
• 1 small-medium slicing tomato, or 2 slices from a big tomato
• 1 large or two small leaves of soft lettuce
• Mayonnaise or similar spread

Fry the facon according to the instructions on the box. Let cool and drain on paper towels.

Split your roll, and lightly toast it. Spread both sides with a thin coating of the mayo.

Arrange the facon slices overlapping to cover the bottom of the roll. Put the slices of tomato on top, followed by the lettuce, folding or tearing it to fit. Cover with the roll top.

Eat alongside some chips or tater tots.

Notes and variations:

FLTA: peel, pit, and slice 1/4 to 1/3 of an avocado. Put this on the bottom of the roll before adding the facon.

Spreads: mayonnaise is traditional (or vegannaise if you prefer), but I tend to prefer spreads with a little more flavor, such as dijionnaise, aioli, or (in the case of the FLT in the photo) a mild sweet onion mustard.

It's better to make your FLT when tomatoes are in season.

History Note: Morningstar Farms originated as the vegetarian foods venture of President Warren Harding's Seventh-Day Adventist, sanitarium-owning cousin Dr. George Harding in 1939, because he believed that a meatless diet helped calm psychotic and neurotic patients. This venture was so successful -- owing in part to WWII meat rationing -- that Harding was able to buy up most of his competitors. The Adventist Church still owns a large part of MorningStar. It is not determined whether President Warren Harding ever ate a soy steak.