In the pursuit of the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I have gone through many types of bread and many versions of peanut butter. Now, I have perfected the dish into a delight that does not last for long in my household.
Mary Ellen Concord Grape Jelly was the ultimate for making a PB&J sandwich. The concord grape flavor was so intense that it could hold up against any bread and any nut butter.
But the Mary Ellen Jam company was acquired by Smuckers, in 1979. I cannot find the jam in any of my usual stores. A Google search failed to turn up any Mary Ellen Concord Grape Jelly in "stores nearby", indicating that another wonderful classic has disappeared off of the store shelves.
The sandwich begins with Orowheat Health Nut bread, which seems to have been crammed with enough niacin, folate, iron, thiamin and calcium to replace meat.
I freeze this bread, then put the slices in the toaster oven at about 200° for about 5 minutes. This warms and lightly toasts the bread.
Next, goes the peanut butter and only Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Super Chunk will do. There is no substitute. Adding honey crunch peanuts to regular butter is just not the way to go, son.
The warm bread makes the butter spread smoothly and even melt a bit. I keep my peanut butter in the refrigerator, which makes a little heat a very helpful helper.
Then, my lesser substitute for Mary Ellen Concord Grape Jelly, Welch's Concord Grape, goes onto the bread and I mix the jelly and peanut butter together.
The sandwich is cut in half and served with a glass of 1 percent milk. But not just any glass will do. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches milk must be served in the most quirky glassware that is possible.
Suggestions include McDonald's theme glassware, tourist shop finds from various cities of the world, elegant cut glass tumblers and plastic cups that were left over from the Halloween party.
After all that, simply munch and sip, sip and munch, and come close to the gates of Heaven!
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Keka
skypixie0
Theresa Rice
SheilaTGTG55
Eljekar
Erica K
Salon.com
Comments
Lezlie
Loved this.
In Greenwich Village, there is a restaurant that serves nothing but sandwiches containing peanut butter. The Village also has a restaurant that serves only mac & cheese. I'm looking for one that serves Spam for the next OS meet-up.
Great recipe! And as someone else pointed out when there are so few ingredients, each one really matters!
rated
R♥
But banana and mayo...oh my...a little honey...some brandied almonds...aiiee...
But, given that PB&J is a classic, maybe I should try it... I don't have any quirky glasses and (gee) don't drink milk, I do have lots of quirky cups and many little packets of strange tea...
What is it about melting peanut butter that just soothes the soul?
Hy: It's just doggone comfort food, I guess. Now I'm hungry...
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