Chef Nick DiGiovanni shares the best BLT recipe from debut cookbook ‘Knife Drop’

If you’ve ever seen the tip of a knife slam first into a wooden cutting board, you’ve probably seen celebrity chef and food personality Nick DiGiovanni’s viral recipe video.

The content creator, who has a combined 25 million followers on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, joined “Good Morning America” ​​on Tuesday to release his debut cookbook, “Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook.”

The 27-year-old was the youngest finalist on Gordon Ramsay’s hit series “Master Chef”, when he finished third in the 10th season of the competition.

Since the show, Ramsay has become DiGiovanni’s mentor, sharing screens of cooking videos with him on social media and even writing the foreword to his new one.

Earlier this week, the pair set a Guinness World Record for one of Ramsay’s most iconic dishes, Beef Wellington.

Check out his updated take on the classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich below, as well as a zesty chicken taco recipe below.

“The bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich has been mistreated for years,” DiGiovanni writes in his cookbook. “It doesn’t have any identity, but if every single ingredient is carefully processed, it can suddenly become an inexplicably good sandwich.”

Preparation time: 7 minutes + make bacon, salt and chicken skin

8 thick sliced ​​heirloom tomatoes

Flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 slices thick sourdough bread

2 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more to taste

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 strips maple lemon bacon, chopped (recipe follows)

4 baby lettuce leaves

For the bacon, makes 15 to 20 slices1 lb (454 g) uncured bacon

1/3 cup (104 grams) pure maple syrup, divided

1/2 cup (107 grams) brown sugar, divided

1 lemon, grated for flavor

To make the bacon: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over the foil.

Spread the bacon evenly on the grill. Use a pastry brush to coat bacon with half of the maple syrup, then sprinkle half of the brown sugar on top.

Place the slices in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelize. Turn bacon over, brush with remaining maple syrup, and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it.

Remove the sheets from the oven. Using a Microplane grater, grate some lemon zest over the top immediately so that the zest sticks to the glaze as the bacon cools. Serve immediately.

hint:You should always grill bacon. It makes the final product so much better. Please stop using stovetop bacon unless absolutely necessary.

sandwich: Place tomato slices in a single layer on a work surface and season with salt and pepper.

Using a pastry brush, lightly spread mayonnaise on one side of each slice, about 1/2 tablespoon per slice.

In a nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Place 1 slice of bread in skillet, mayonnaise side down, and toast 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining slices.

Brush the untoasted side of the bread with a light layer of mayonnaise with a pastry brush. Add some chopped bacon so it sticks to the mayonnaise.

The bacon was topped with a 2nd layer of baby lettuce leaves. Add 4 tomato slices and put some crispy chicken skin on top of the tomatoes. Repeat for another sandwich. Serve immediately.

Makes: 4 quesadillas
Cooking time: 20 to 28 minutes

raw material
1 1/2 cups (225g) shredded grilled chicken 4 slices maple lemon bacon, chopped (same recipe as above)
113 g (1 cup) freshly grated cheddar cheese
1 cup (113 g) freshly grated Oaxaca cheese
1/2 cup (57 g) freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 tablespoons salted butter
four 10-inch (25-cm) flour tortillas
1/4 cup (60ml) ranch dressing, recipe below
Guacamole, to serve
salsa, to serve

For the bacon, makes 15 to 20 slices1 lb (454 g) uncured bacon
1/3 cup (104 grams) pure maple syrup, divided
1/2 cup (107 grams) brown sugar, divided
1 lemon, grated for flavor

Prepare the bacon according to the recipe above.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, bacon, cheese, shallot, and salt. Mix until well combined.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add tortillas, spreading 1/4 of the filling mixture over half of the tortillas. Drizzle some ranch dressing on top and fold the tortilla in half. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden brown and crisp.

Remove quesadilla from pan and repeat step 2 for remaining quesadillas.

Serve immediately with ranch dressing, guacamole, and salsa.

raw material
1/4 cup (56 g) mayonnaise
1/3 cup (75 grams) sour cream
1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together.

Excerpted from Knife Drop, reproduced with permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2023 Nick DiGiovanni.