PB&J Sandwiches Actually Taste Gourmet When Paired With This Italian Cheese

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich needs no pretense, no pomp. The swirl of sweet jelly (or jam, or preserves) with savory peanut butter is simply sublime — emphasis on the simple. So when we recommend an alteration to this hallowed schoolyard favorite, know that it comes with a good amount of thought and consideration. And boy, do we have a great hack to take your sandwich from child's play to absolutely gourmet: Pecorino Romano cheese. This sharp, umami, and lactose-free sheep's milk cheese may not be the most obvious addition to such a sweet-forward sandwich, but trust us: It's a wonderful addition. This twist comes by way of Bryan Suarez, who posted the recipe to his Instagram. 

His recipe is simple, with a few flourishes (Pecorino included) that really make this sandwich stand out. For starters, he makes his own raspberry spread and grills his bread before assembling the sandwich. As for the Pecorino? Well, he just grates that over the raspberry spread and peanut butter before bringing the two slices together to form that classic of all classics: the PB&J. Now, you needn't make your own jam or jelly for this sandwich, and you don't have to grill or toast your bread either (unless that's what you prefer). Simply add cheese and enjoy the hint of savory flavor that perfectly offsets the sweetness of your jelly and complements your peanut butter. It's a lovely accent that elevates this beautifully simple and nostalgic sandwich.

This cheese-forward PB&J idea is innovative, but we shouldn't rest on our laurels with this Pecorino kiss. After all, there are plenty of ways to build on this hack to further bridge the gap between the cheese and the peanut butter and jelly filling. For example, rather than using raspberry jelly, as Suarez does, you could use another spread, such as fig preserves, which have a rich sweetness that plays very well with Pecorino, and can help elevate the flavor of your sandwich. A lovely spiced apple butter would also do well with the nutty sheep's milk cheese. 

Then there is the matter of the cheese itself. While sprinkling grated Pecorino onto your sandwich is a surefire way to make a wonderful filling, there are a few other tricks you might want to try if you want to build even more interest in flavor and texture. For example, you can make a lacy Pecorino cheese crust on the outside of your sandwich. To do so, apply a thin egg wash to your bread, then press it into a small pile of shredded cheese. Then, grill until the cheese has browned. This browned cheese will have even more nuttiness, richness, and complexity, which will complement your peanut butter's rich, nutty taste. Alternatively, you can make Pecorino cheese crisps and use them as a filling. Like adding potato chips to your PB&J, this introduces a similar crunchy and salty dimension that can really make this sandwich pop.