This sandwich is from John’s childhood memory bank. I didn’t even know what a Monte Cristo was until I met him, and he told me all the strange tales of what he ate growing up on his family’s farm. We had much to learn from each other’s history with food, and it’s the dichotomy between us that makes hot for food recipes so great! So if you don’t know what a Monte Cristo is, it’s basically a French toast grilled cheese sandwich traditionally made with ham, turkey, and cheese in the middle. Oh, and powdered sugar on top…because, America. Sounds kinda gross and kinda awesome all at the same time right? But one thing’s for sure…this sandwich is a surefire hangover cure!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
- 0.33 cup chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, for frying
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
- 12 vegan provolone or cheddar cheese slices
- Tofu Bacon Slices
- 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar (optional)
- ¼ cup maple syrup or raspberry jam, for serving
How to Make It
- Combine the nondairy milk, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, and salt in a wide, shallow dish. Place 2 slices of bread into the batter and allow the slices to sit in the batter for 1 to 2 minutes. Depending on the thickness and type of bread you’re using, you might want to soak for more or less time. The slices should be well coated on both sides but not overly soggy.
- Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter.
- Place 2 battered slices of the bread in the pan and cook on one side for approximately 3 minutes. Flip and put Dijon mustard on 1 slice and vegan mayonnaise on the other. Use 3 slices of cheese per sandwich and divide between the 2 pieces of bread. Top 1 bread slice with a few pieces of the bacon slices. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, then put the two halves together to assemble the sandwich, lower the heat, and cover the pan with a lid. The cheese should melt in another 2 minutes, but the heat should be low enough that the bread won’t burn.
- Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Adjust the heat as you go and continue frying each sandwich, adding 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter to the pan for each one.
- Top the finished sandwiches with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, and serve with maple syrup for dipping.
