The Simple Way To Elevate Your Next PB&J
There are few foods as universally nostalgic as a classic PB&J sandwich. Cheap, tasty, and quick to make, a PB&J encapsulates two very different flavors: Nutty peanut butter and fruity jelly (via National Peanut Board). Author Justin Warner of "The Laws of Cooking: And How to Break Them" describes this as the "law of peanut butter and jelly," which notes the contrast between fruit and fat, as well as the vessel that holds the two together, which is typically bread (per The Splendid Table). He explains that this culinary law expands to other foods, like a crunchy wedge salad, bagels and lox, and hot dogs.
As kids, though, we first learned about the art of contrast with a simple PB&J sandwich. However, contrast doesn't have to stop with just peanut butter and jelly, because there's a third element that will add some extra sweetness to the mix. We've previously gone over one simple way to elevate your next PB&J, which includes grilling the sandwich, but this new trick takes the sandwich to a whole new level.
This additional ingredient never expires
Fun fact: Honey doesn't have an expiration date, according to Spoon University, which is all the more reason to keep it around to elevate your next PB&J sandwich. It might sound like a strange combination at first, but food blog Bowl Me Over insists that such a pairing encompasses saltiness, sweetness, and creaminess all in one. Honey is also used in the world's most expensive PB&J sandwich, per Eat This, Not That!. However, you don't need to get the expensive New Zealand variety — or edible gold leaf bread — to make a grilled almond butter (or peanut butter) and jelly sandwich.
Just make your PB&J sandwich as normal and add a small drizzle of honey to the nut butter side of the bread. You can also mix the honey and peanut butter together for a more blended infusion. Depending on the brand, honey can also add fruity, floral, earthy, or smoky notes (via The Seattle Times). It's a simple and creative way to enhance the flavor contrasts between the peanut butter, jelly, and honey the next time you make a PB&J.