In the fall of 2008, Ssäm Bar needed a seasonal dessert, and Concord grapes were on the brain. Best man I know suggested I do a take on a pb & j, but my way, using techniques and perhaps a flavor that made sense but was unexpected. I chose the path of a panna cotta, made with milk steeped with the flavor of a saltine cracker: salty and soda-y—a poor man’s pb & j. People were going to love it or hate it. And that was perfectly fine with me, because I loved it, though the saltine milk is not for wussies.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　1/2 recipe Concord Grape Jelly (recipe follows)

　　1/2 recipe Peanut Butter Crunch (page 185)

　　1 recipe Saltine Panna Cotta (recipe follows)

　　

Step 1

Divide the jelly evenly among 4 serving bowls.

　　

Step 2

Put a 1-inch circular cookie cutter or ring mold on a small plate and use a spoon to firmly press one-quarter of the peanut butter crunch into the circle, making a 1/2-inch-high round. Transfer the round of crunch to the first bowl, popping it out of the mold onto the jelly. Repeat for the remaining 3 bowls.

　　

Step 3

With an offset spatula, carefully transfer 1 panna cotta to the top of each peanut butter crunch round. Serve immediately.

　　

notes

Step 4

For an upscale option, garnish the panna cottas with any leftover saltine crackers. We crumble a small amount between thumb and index finger just before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi with Courtney McBroom. Copyright © 2011 by MomoMilk, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Christina Tosi is the chef and owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, called "one of the most exciting bakeries in the country" by Bon Appètit. As founder of the desserts programs at Momofuku, including Noodle Bar, Ssäat;m Bar, Ko and Má Pêche, Christina was most recently shortlisted for a James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award. Christina and her confections have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and Live! with Regis and Kelly, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her three dogs and eats an unconscionable amount of raw cookie dough every day.