My Friends! I apologize for my absence. As one can imagine, Christmas time is a very busy time of year in the bakery business. So much has happened over the last month and a half. I've discovered so many recipes (some that I can share, and some that I cannot) and have even eaten some amazing food.
As you may know, my brother is a chef at a high end restaurant downtown, and Mr. Pepper and I decided to head over there for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, my brother had the night off, so he communicated to us via text message throughout our meal. We went to
Jump with one specific item in mind: The Lock Out burger. Tonight was the last night it was being offered as the NHL and NHLPA had reached an agreement. It is a fantastic burger with an equally fantastic message: as fans, we love meat and even though we love hockey, we can still go out and have a good time without it. This specialty burger was only available as long as the lockout was on, and was offered at half price whenever a Leafs home game was scheduled.
From the
Toronto Star,
For $10.75, half off the regular price, fans looking for 10 ounces worth of comfort can try the Lockout Burger - a short rib and beef patty topped with aged 7-year-old cheddar and homemade dill pickle relish. It comes with a side of fries and truffle mayonnaise to dip them in.
It really was a delicious burger, the homemade dill pickle relish being my favourite part. The bun was super fresh and the lettuce and tomato were crisp. The burger was like a typical homemade burger in that it was juicy and flavourful, not greasy. It was almost round instead of patty shaped, and although this adds to the authenticity of it, it makes it difficult for the bun and toppings to stay where you want. The truffle mayonnaise was very light and although I added some to my burger, the flavour wasn't strong enough to shine through. Overall, the meal was delicious, and if it ends up on their regular menu, I highly recommend trying it.
In Toronto it pays to know people. I am not one to name drop. I've worked with many people over the years who have little difficulty with the "do you know who I am?" and "Oh, I know so-and-so" parts of conversation. I am not like that. I am more likely to hint that I know someone, rather than just come out and say it. (For example, the waitress asked if I wanted regular fries, onion rings, or sweet potato fries with my dinner, and I responded with "He didn't tell me which to get", which obviously got a strange look from the waitress). When I finally got the courage to ask one of the wait assistants if she knew my brother, we had already been served our meal, and I only asked because my brother told me to (did I mention that he's younger than me?). She knew him, of course (he's a pretty cool guy).
Well, I guess news travels fast because when our waitress returned, she was happy to hear that I was his sister and brought us spoons. Lucky for us, this meant that we got a dessert! The wait assistant was very friendly and although she couldn't remember everything that was on the plate, we got the gist of it. Here we have a chocolate tart with a candied orange peel and lingonberry compote. We aren't sure what the white dollop is, but it was orangey and creamy. The whole dish as a whole was delicious. On it's own, the tart was very rich, but having some of the orange cream stuff, or the lingonberry compote with it definitely softened it out.
Jump might not be a place you visit on a daily basis (although if you follow my brother on Instagram you would be tempted), but it is definitely worth the time and money for special occasions. Someday I hope they bring back their duck confit poutine, then I would be there weekly!
Enjoy!
Mel
7. Add the tempered egg yolks, all cheeses, and the pepper. Stir well.
