Concrete Genie is a game that mainly relies on painting colorful drawings on the walls of the grim port city of Denska. This does not sound much exciting, but a few screenshots from this PS4 exclusive title are enough to make us know that we are dealing with something more than just a short, seemingly childish tale with simple mechanics. Concrete Genie is actually a short, but extremely magical and original journey that will take you into the world of colorful paintings, fabulous sounds and children’s dreams about special friends. With a pure heart, I recommend the title to everyone who has PS4 on their disposal – the game is a great refreshment among the multitude of similar action games.
And although I did not expect any culinary motifs from this game, maybe except for sardine advertisements on walls, (after all Denska is located by the water), the main character is accompanied by a thermos with a sandwich already in the intro cutscene. And not just any sandwich, because it is clearly seen that this is the legendary PB&J sandwich, i.e. bread sandwich with peanut butter and jam loved by American kids. You may be wondering why you’re getting here a simple sandwich recipe, especially since peanut butter and jam can be easily bought in the store. Well, because the homemade version is much better – until I tried my own production of it, I was not very enthusiastic about this nut spread in the store-bought version. Apparently the composition is only nuts and a little salt, but the style of preparation is of great importance, especially the proper roasting of nuts. As for jam, you can use the store-bought one, but be sure to have the one with 100% fruit content. However, I recommend trying your own production as well – you can use the faster version with strawberry jam, or the more time-consuming option with dark grape jam (this type of jam is often used for PB&J sandwich in the USA). Also without further ado, it’s time to immerse yourself in childhood memories – a peanut butter and jam sandwich is the perfect addition to the bite when transforming Denski into a colorful landscape!
HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY SANDWICH
Concrete Genie
sandwich with homemade peanut butter from roasted nuts and jam
PREP TIME: 30 min
PRICE: low
SERVINGS: 4
LEVEL: easy
YOU’LL NEED
pan
kitchen robot with blades (food processor)
INGREDIENTS
unsalted peanuts – 350g
salt – 1/2 tsp
STRAWBERRY JAM (faster option)
fresh or frozen strawberries – 1kg
sugar – 4 tbsp
lemon juice – 1 tbsp
GRAPE JAM (time-consuming option)
dark grapes – 1kg
sugar – 12 tbsp
lemon juice – 3-4 tbsp
cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
FOR SERVING
toast bread slices
PREPARATION
1. ROASTING PEANUTS (5 min)
Put the nuts on a dry and hot pan and roast them on medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. They must be sligthly browned. Let them cool for a few minutes.
2. GRINDING (5 min)
Put warm (but not hot) toasted nuts on the food processor. Mix them pulsating for about 5 minutes, taking breaks from time to time so as not to overheat the engine. After the first 2-3 minutes, a greasy mass should begin to form. Continue blending until a uniform, creamy consistency is obtained. Add a little salt to taste and mix again.
3. STRAWBERRY JAM – faster option (30 min)
Put fresh or frozen strawberries and sugar into a pot. Heat to a boil over high heat and crush the strawberries with a potato masher, for example. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Finally, add a little lemon juice to even out the flavor. Cook for a moment longer, and when the mixture is thick enough, pour it into the clean jar, screw the lid on and put jar upside down. Set aside to cool down.
4. GRAPES JAM – time-consuming option (1,5h)
Tear the fruit off the stems, wash and place in a pot, add sugar and bring to a boil over a strong fire. Mash the fruit with a potato masher to a pulp, then rub it through a sieve to get rid of seeds and skins. Put the flesh rubbed through the sieve back in the pot, on the burner and simmer it over medium heat, uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring frequently. At the end, season with lemon juice and cinnamon, and when the mixture is too sour, add more sugar. Cook for a moment, and when the mass is thick enough, pour it into a clean jar, screw the lid on and put jar upside down. Set aside to cool down.
SERVING
The bread can be additionally fried in a pan or heated in a toaster for a crispy effect. Brush one slice generously with peanut butter and the other slice with jam and fold. Such a sandwich with homemade peanut butter and jam is a perfect snack not only for the morning coffee, but also as a snack for special journeys! Ash recommends!
Special thanks to PlayStation Polska for game copy and gifts!
You can buy Concrete Genie at PS Store
