French Toast BLT with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

This combination of two all-time favorites is based on our New Orleans—style egg-soaked-and-fried pain perdu, or "lost bread," a traditional method used to reclaim bread that was growing stale. I use fresh challah—thickly sliced or it will fall apart during the soak—because it has a rich sweetness but airy texture from being kneaded. The long soak creates a custard that cooks into the bread so it puffs up in the oven after getting a crisp crust in the frying pan. That's your base, topped with the saltiness and smokiness of bacon with a good cure, ripe tomato, and peppery arugula.