Beef tasted better corned

You may call me simple but I cannot deny that I love sandwiches. Sure sandwiches can be simple but they can also be as complex as launching a NASA space shuttle. There always seems to be a never ending list of vegetables, meats, breads and spreads the can be used to assemble the perfect sandwich. However, sometimes the simplest sandwich can often be the best sandwich, just the like the sandwiches at “The Corned Beef House” in Toronto.

On another oh too familiar “had to stay late at work” kind of day I decided that I would venture through the concrete jungle in the entertainment district and scavenge for my dinner. My hunt didn’t seem to last too long as I found my prey on the corner of Adelaide and John, The Corned Beef House. I pushed open the glass doors to reveal a nice bar setting inside and walked up to a very pleasent server at the bar and handed my magical parchment to her, a coupon for 50% off a huge and a pop.

I quickly scanned through the menu and narrowed my decision to two choices. a voice inside my head said to me “a placed called the corned beef house, how could you not get corned beef sandwich?” but the more dopey voice inside of my head whispered “Montreal smoked meat” like sweet nothings in my ear. Well of course I made the obvious choice and picked the montreal smoked meat sandwich at a place called “The Corned Beef House”. It did seem a little blasphemous to be ordering a montreal smoked meat sandwich in Toronto and I did wonder if i was breaking some kind of law that I would need to take shelter from to hide from those montreal smoked meat purists.

The sandwich was assembled promptly and I assume with lots of tender loving care. The sandwich was quite basic; rye bread, 7 oz of delectable meats and mustard. One of the first things I noticed when I was served the sandwich was the delicious aroma emanating from the plate that remind me of sitting at the counter of a montreal deli. The food looked so good that I immediately dislocated my jaw to clamp down on my meal like a snake devouring a mouse. The bread was tasty and very sturdy, which it had to be in order to hold the mounds of deliciousness. The ambrosia like meat was very moist and salty and hit all the right taste buds in my mouth.

I hope nobody from montreal reads this but I think the montreal smoked sandwich could stand up toe to toe with the sandwiches from montreal. The flavours were there and “The Corned Beef House” kept it traditional by keeping it simple. After Sampling one of “The Corned Beef House’s” wares, i’m anticipating another visit to try what I assume is their specialty, the Reuben.

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Corned Beef House

Frankenstein Creation

I haven't been updating my blog as much I should because of work but I am going to try to be more active about writing to remind my palate of all the great things I have consumed.

On this day in particular I decided to put on my doctor Frankenstein persona and attempt a monstrosity of a grilled cheese sandwich. I had a few Ingredients laying around the house, bread and cheese, but I needed more if was going to create something utterly devious. What I needed was a magical ingredient, bacon! not just any bacon but pancetta  (fancy Italian bacon).

I took the slice of pancetta and pan fried them until they were crispy wafers of meat. I next pulled out the slices of my Dempsters whole grain bread (because i'm health conscious) and my fancy Kraft Singles and started the assembling process. I laid the slices of cheese on the bread and then placed my crispy pancetta on top of the cheese. I then paused for a moment and felt i needed to add something, caramelized onion jam!

I bought the caramelized onion jam from an artisan's fair and is one of the most delectable spreads i have ever had. The jam is sweet like caramelized onion but also savory at the same time, quite the unique taste sensation.

I spread the onion jam on top of the fried pancetta and I closed up my sandwich and was ready to butter up the slices of bread. As I reached for the butter I noticed I still had bacon fat in a pan and the light bulb turned on, I'm going to butter my bread with bacon fat! (the healthy choice).

After I finished covering my sandwich in bacon fat, I threw my sandwich in a new frying pan and I fried it to crispy perfection. I cut it up diagonally and I stood back and I admired my master piece.

I picked it up with both hands and I could feel the bacon fat cover my finger tips but it didn't stop me from taking my first bite. I bit into the gooey creation and broke off a piece of the crispy pancetta and started to chew my creation and let the flavors envelop my mouth. Each mouthful of the franken-grilled cheese filled my mouth with the saltiness of the pancetta, the sweet and savory taste of the caramelized onion jam and the gooey richness of the processed cheese. I thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich but I don't know if using bacon fat to cover my sandwich added any benefit except for shaving a few years off my life and adding a little bit of fat to my arteries. I still think it was a great to reuse bacon fat.

Bon A petite!