all i want is
butterfly kisses in the morning
peanut butter sandwiches shaped like a heart
and to make you smile until it hurts– Girlfriend Wanted, Matthew Gray Gubler
It all started with an article I read via Click the City: there was a shop in Quezon City that sold peanut butter – and not just any peanut butter, at that. This shop, Peanut Butter Company, sold flavored peanut butter! Truth be told, my brain went into overdrive: I was thinking of sate ayam made with the curry-flavored peanut butter, brownie-like peanut butter cookies made with the one with dark chocolate, exotic PB&Js made with cardamom- (or cinnamon) infused peanut butter and bespoke mango preserves…! Oh, the possibilities seemed endless!
Unfortunately, I’m only in Quezon City once a month and usually in the Morato part of town. Then I heard that PBCo opened a branch at the Mall of Asia. No dice; I rarely ever go there! However, given the adage that if Mohammed cannot go to the mountain, then the mountain will go to Mohammed, they opened a branch close by – at the Paseo Center, of all places! So, finally, I was able to get my PB fix!
The PBCo dining experience involves numerous sweet and savory sandwiches that feature various flavors with a number of other ingredients. You can have something as simple as a classic PB&J with plain creamy peanut butter and grape jelly, or go completely overboard with their Black Forest Sandwich which involves dark-choc peanut butter, cherries, and vanilla-infused cream cheese. (Trust me: I think I gained a few pounds just from writing that sentence!)
PBCo also serves that infamous – yet divinely decadent – monster of a sarnie held in high favor by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself: crunchy peanut butter with bacon (lots of it) and bananas. It goes by the name Elvis, the King, costs P 85.00 for half and P 155.00 for the whole thing, and tastes disturbingly good. Your hips will never forgive you, but your mouth will.
For home consumption, however, PBCo also sells their flavored peanut butters by the jar. In case you’re rather iffy that you might get something undesirable (which isn’t likely; they’re all good), they have mini-bottles that go for P 55.00 each. My “starter kit”, as shown above, consists of the following flavors:
- Cardamom – sweetly spicy; it has a gingerbread vibe going for it and is excellent for adding a flavorful twist to classic peanut butter cookies;
- Sesame – think of it as the missing link between peanut butter and tahini; it has whole roasted black sesame seeds stirred into it for good measure. Excellent for Asian marinades and for quick canapes when spread on plain round water crackers and topped with sushi-grade raw tuna or salmon and minced chives; and
- Green Tea – don’t let the odd olive color of this spread put you off. The matcha adds a bittersweet nuttiness – almost almond-like – and a rather floral fragrance to the spread. Perfect for bespoke breakfasts spread onto warm, buttery croissants with a cup of homemade matcha latte on the side.
Another way to enjoy these scrumptious butters is to make sandwiches out of them with equally unusual breads. The one shown above was made with cheese-pimento loaf and was just plum-perfect after grilling. Cutting the sandwich into a heart is optional, of course. 😉
Midge in the Kitchen 