All For the Chips

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I don’t know why but I was craving banana. I haven’t eaten a banana in a while. Oh wait. Actually, I had banana this weekend in my friend Raj’s birthday pie for his 30-year-old girlfriend’s birthday party: a pie filled with Nutella and topped in quarter-sections with strawberries, pretzels and chocolate chunks, apples and then bananas.

I ate a sliver of banana-topped Nutella pie. And it must of still been in my head come yesterday lunch; I craved a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I wanted a gooey mess of a sandwich. I’m sorry. I just did.

Unfortunately we didn’t have any bananas in the house. I sincerely love bananas but I rarely buy them anymore fearing its massive carbon footprint. So I did what I always do: make do.

Peanut Butter and Apple Sandwich

While bananas have nothing in common with apples, it was the only fresh fruit I had on hand. (Which made me remember the song “Apples and Bananas,” which apparently lots of others remember as well: @DustyLockhart @rkaufman @Skyflax @MichLancaster @roadtohell @MadelineSho.)

Anyway. I cut a tiny apple (can’t remember the type – sometimes I wish food I bought from the far mar had stickers!) into thin slices and then dropped it into a warm pan with butter. I wanted the apples to soften but didn’t want to use a ton of butter so after 2 minutes I added a few tablespoons of water to let the apples simmer. (The water did not cover the apples, the apples slightly floated in the water/butter combo.) I then sprinkled on salt. No cinnamon. No nutmeg.

This apple is anti-spiced because I really wanted to eat potato chips with this sandwich and I just didn’t think that cinnamon and nutmeg would go with a side of chips. So as much as I wanted to reach for those dessert-like spices, I didn’t.

Once the water evaporated, I let the apples sit on the warm pan while I toasted pumpernickel slices. I toasted the bread on both sides then slathered one side with natural peanut butter (from the far mar!), then topped it with the softened slices of apple and put it back under the broiler. To serve, I sprinkled with more salt and a drizzle of local honey. And of course, with a side of chips.

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6 comments

  • winger14 October 26, 2010  

    looks and sounds delicious stef!

  • Cupcake Activist October 26, 2010  

    Apples are so wonderful in sandwiches! Have you had a grilled cheese and apple sandwich? So good!!

  • erica October 26, 2010  

    Proper Eats has started putting green sour apple slices in their hummus sandwiches… it’s pretty damn good.

  • gansie October 26, 2010  

    my biggest revelation for this sandwich is the browning of the peanut butter. i guess it has a enough fat to brown from the broiler heat? not sure why the butter enhanced apples didn’t brown though.

    any food scientists out there?

  • erica October 26, 2010  

    (i’m guessing the apples had enough liquid in them still to resist browning???)

  • Pingback: The New Butter | Endless Simmer October 27, 2010  

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