Life is a bit of a whirlwind right now, and all I want – need – is comfort food. It’s time for some nostalgia. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have been quite enjoying new interpretations of a (deliberately) forgotten childhood memory: peanut butter sarmies.

School lunch boxes were the worst. I could instantly sniff out if my sandwiches had been even close to a knife smeared with the stuff. For years, I simply cut out the taste. What a pity that I lost out to many tasty peanut butter delights, especially those spicy satays.

But I’m proud to say that I have conquered my unpleasant memories in the best way possible: dessert. I was inspired by a delicate slice of smoked chocolate and peanut terrine served at The Greenhouse Restaurant in Constantia a few weeks ago. It was sublime. So, as I usually do when swamped with deadlines, I baked. This time it was a dense date loaf with a frosting of whipped peanut butter, thinned with a dash of cream and sweetened with icing sugar. Now that I could do!

And this morning a colleague reminded me of those little round chocolates called Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Mmm, I wonder if you can still buy those? I have yet to be brave enough for naked peanut butter spread on bread. To be honest, it might take a while until I get to that point. Not even the hot buttered toast that the kids have on a Saturday morning with crispy bacon on top would tempt me.

But in these last few weeks of judging I am sure to be eating a few more versions of satay as I search for the best Asian restaurant. Please let me know which is your favourite so I can add it to the list.

Happy eating!

Abigail

Image: Peanut butter kisses by Herr Hans Gruber