The BLC is an American invention that took off in the 1950s, probably spurred on by Kraft's advertising blitz for Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It started out as a Jewish Sunday morning ritual and soon became an all-American breakfast/brunch to rival the standard bacon, eggs, and toast. Thanks to the Julia Child of Jewish cooking, Joan Nathan, for her short history of the bagel, smoked salmon, and cream cheese trio.
One of the first mainstream mentions of this delicious triple threat was in an early 1950s volume of Family Circle. Fannie Engle (who would later author a Jewish cookbook) published an hors d'oeuvre recipe instructing readers to slice up bagels into quarters, spread with sweet butter (or cream cheese for variation), and top with a small slice of smoked salmon. In 1951, the BLC hit Broadway in the comedy Bagel and Yox, which introduced the combination to many Americans due to its coverage in magazines such as Time.
The BLC is still a mouthwatering classic today. Marcia Gagliardi, aka "The Tablehopper" and author of The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco especially loves a BLC made with plain and poppyseed bagels. "They’re the perfect vehicles for lox and cream cheese. I adore lox -- it must be my inner cat that loves the smoky fish taste. I specifically plan visits to Barney Greengrass, Russ and Daughters, and Zabar’s when I go to New York so I can try all the different smoked fish they have. Lately I’ve been really into gravlax, and want to start making my own. Damn, now I’m craving a lox and cream cheese bagel."
The Tablehopper tops off her BLC with chopped-up shallot and a sprinkling of capers. Other common toppings are tomatoes and red onions. How do you top off your BLC?
