All hail the peanut butter sandwich
Pandemic has welcomed back the sidelined lunchtime classic
If remote schooling has brought countless stresses into the lives of parents, transforming many of us into our children’s personal assistants (“I’ve signed you into your 9 a.m. and will have your snack on your desk before the end of your meeting”), it has also brought with it one unlikely joy: the triumphant return of peanut butter for lunch — a titillating option for those of us who have been well-trained by the nutfree school system.
And frankly, it’s lucky that peanut butter and jam sandwiches are comfortingly delicious because they are also just about the only meal those of us trying to juggle jobs and juniors have time for between conference calls and crying sessions. So, not willing to waste any possible opportunity for pleasure in these bleak times, my young kids and I challenged ourselves to taste-test every combination of PB&J that we could think of — each more delicious than the next, and none as mundane as our days.
Here are some of our favourites, which we think are sure to soothe both young and old diners.
The sultry take
An unexpected take on the classic PB&J, this lunchtime pairing packs layers of smoki- ness, saltiness and sweetness thanks to the dark-roasted nut butter and the surprisingly deli- cious marmalade made of ba- con, orange and balsamic vine- gar. My son loved the umami delivered by the bacon, and I loved that, if I closed my eyes for just a moment and concen- trated on the refined flavours, I could pretend that I was wear- ing a hotel robe and enjoying a solo room service delivery of dark roast coffee, bacon and crisp toast.
Adams Dark Roast Peanut Butter, $4.98, realcanadiansu- perstore.ca
PC Black Label Bacon Mar- malade Spread, $5.49, Loblaws.ca
The sweet touch
When the need for true com- fort food arises, as it does when you’re faced with the soul- crushing combination of Zoom doom and zealous whining, reach for this sweet pairing that supercharges the whipped, salty peanut butter of your childhood with nutty caramel spread — then tuck in a few paper-thin slices of crisp green apple in for crunch and fresh- ness. My youngest son, a true sugar maniac, loved the indul- gence of this combo. “It would be even better without the ap- ple!” he enthused.
Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, $3.98, amazon.ca Bonne Maman Dulce de Leche, $6.29, grocerygateway.com
The cheerful choice
“This tastes like sunshine!” ex- claimed my older son when tak- ing a bite packed with tidbits of candied citrus rind. Indeed, this compote boasts all the bitter- ness that marmalade-addicts crave but, when spread over equally crunchy and robust peanut butter, kids are more apt to allow themselves to fall for the warm flavours — which hopefully they do, since it is likely the only taste of a vaca- tion that we’ll get for a while.
Nuts to You Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter, $6.49, well.ca
Greaves Pure Orange, Grapefruit and Lemon Mar- malade, $4.99, fortinos.ca
The heat seeker
This combo is most certainly geared toward adults — or kids like my older son who relish a steaming bowl of hot and sour soup — since this Haitian-in- spired and absurdly delicious peanut butter is kicked up with a blend of hot peppers. Now, the burn isn’t intense (particularly for those of us who’ve felt burnt out all year long), but it was too much for my younger son whose delicate palate prompt- ed him to exclaim recently that a piece of tangy, soft sourdough bread from a local bakery was “too spicy.” The tropical fla- vours of this cheery spread fur- ther add to the joy of this sand- wich, which ranked firmly as my favourite of the bunch.
Manba Spicy Peanut But- ter, $9.96, manba.ca
St. Dalfour Spreads Pineap- ple Mango Spread, $5.99, well.ca
The sophisticated selection
This darkly elegant pairing feels as refined as a walk along the Left Bank, as welcoming as pulling up a chair at a Parisian crêperie. Dark chocolate and a hint of salt make this peanut butter the kind of snack you will want to eat with a spoon (and likely will at 11 p.m. while wondering what you’re doing with your life; you were going to move to the Marais to write a novel), while black raspberry jam becomes an almost tuxedoed version of itself when the seeds are removed, as they are in this preserve. My sons both loved the combination as they wolfed it down for their repast. So did I as I ate with my kids and bid adieux to any possible notion of workday productivity. Mumgry Chocolate Peanut Butter, $10, mumgry.com Stonewall Kitchen Seedless Black Raspberry Jam, $10.29, gourmettrading.com