2008 Woodie Awards
Cooking with Lauren
Lauren Kerensky
Issue date: 9/22/05 Section: Arts & Features
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Everyone has a favorite food. When that food is a single ingredient, some of the best meals result from incorporating it into a recipe. Peanut butter is undoubtedly a favorite of mine, and while fantastic in its purest form, dishes that include the stuff rarely ever fail to please. Peanut butter and jelly is a standard classic, and peanut butter on apple slices is a healthier way to appreciate the creamy spread. Warming some up in the microwave and folding it into plain ice cream is so good that one begins to doubt whether there could be a better combination. And who can resist the dreamy combination of peanut butter and chocolate?
Peanut butter is surely a staple of any kitchen cupboard, especially since swiping a knife into the jar and smoothing it onto a bread product yields a quick, easy meal. Recipes that involve peanut butter tend to have a unique flavor and often create an interesting Asian twist, especially when contrasted with the heat of spice. By simply adding peanut butter to some soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, you can find yourself with a quick homemade salad dressing. Some fantastic stir-fries include peanut butter, as do some exotic sauces. Chicken saté is one particular dish that takes advantage of the exquisite properties of peanut butter. It is essentially chicken that is marinated, skewered and grilled, but the accompanying sauce is so spectacular that you will end up looking for as many things as possible to put it on.
Since I have a fondness for baking and a relentless sweet tooth, peanut butter evokes a slew of recipes for dessert ideas. Any Reese's fan will agree that peanut butter and chocolate is an impeccable marriage. Peanut butter and raspberry, or any other jelly or jam, brings the flavors of PB&J to the realm of desserts. Peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and coffee, peanut butter and fluff or just plain peanut butter all make for some stellar baked goods. Cookies, brownies, ice creams and pies all become extra special when peanut butter is involved. If baking from scratch is still a little too daunting for you, even adding a scoop to a cookie or cake mix can bring you a little closer to Betty Crocker.
Peanut butter is surely a staple of any kitchen cupboard, especially since swiping a knife into the jar and smoothing it onto a bread product yields a quick, easy meal. Recipes that involve peanut butter tend to have a unique flavor and often create an interesting Asian twist, especially when contrasted with the heat of spice. By simply adding peanut butter to some soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, you can find yourself with a quick homemade salad dressing. Some fantastic stir-fries include peanut butter, as do some exotic sauces. Chicken saté is one particular dish that takes advantage of the exquisite properties of peanut butter. It is essentially chicken that is marinated, skewered and grilled, but the accompanying sauce is so spectacular that you will end up looking for as many things as possible to put it on.
Since I have a fondness for baking and a relentless sweet tooth, peanut butter evokes a slew of recipes for dessert ideas. Any Reese's fan will agree that peanut butter and chocolate is an impeccable marriage. Peanut butter and raspberry, or any other jelly or jam, brings the flavors of PB&J to the realm of desserts. Peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and coffee, peanut butter and fluff or just plain peanut butter all make for some stellar baked goods. Cookies, brownies, ice creams and pies all become extra special when peanut butter is involved. If baking from scratch is still a little too daunting for you, even adding a scoop to a cookie or cake mix can bring you a little closer to Betty Crocker.