ANYTHING BUT: PB&J(&B)

From the sweet-and-savory department of the Ulika test kitchen comes a sandwich fit for a king. Well, The King, actually. I recently came across this epic Elvis story (scroll about halfway down) about Big E flying to Denver in the middle of the night on a whim for a sandwich called the Fools Gold Loaf:

"An entire loaf of bread is warmed and then hollowed out. The sandwich is generously spread with peanut butter and an equally thick layer of jelly. Finally, lean bacon has to be cooked, at least a pound fried to crispness, to fill the reamining belly of the loaf."

While I wasn't quite feeling up to the challenge of eating the full version, it did pique my curiosity about how our old friend bacon would work on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I actually wasn't too worried about how bacon and jelly would get along (like my man Joe Baine, I am a longtime proponent of jelly on the sausage biscuit). But how would peanut butter affect the equation?

As it turned out, the peanut butter and the bacon combined to ratchet up the savory factor several intensity notches. I believe the Japanese call this umami. I just call it really freaking delicious. That mighty savory force is nicely tempered by the sweetness the jelly (I went with Tiptree Little Scarlet, but plain 'ol Smuckers ought to work just fine). MmmMmmMmm. Yes, Joe, this truly is where God lives. Here are a few tips for perfecting this delicacy.

1. For best results, lightly toast both pieces of bread, then assmeble the sandwich and fry it in a skillet with some butter until golden brown.

2. You'll want to use bacon that is relatively crispy. Less than crispy bacon will not allow you to take a bite without pulling out a whole piece of bacon.

3. Let the sandwich cool for a few minutes before eating it, so the peanut butter and jelly have a chance to re-solidify somewhat. This way they won't squirt out and burn you.

Note: I'm sorry my picture of the sandwich was so subpar. Natalina, one of these days, I'm going to take you up on the offer for those photography lessons!