And now for something different: Monte Cristo, the holy grail of sandwiches? Perhaps. It’s sweet, savory and I don’t quite understand how it comes together as well as it does. It’s pretty much a French toast sandwich with ham, cheese, mayo and mustard…then it’s dusted with powdered sugar and served with jam.

As always, if you dig this recipe, tag me at @draggedthroughthegarden on instagram and we can talk about the meaning of life. And sandwiches.

The Vegan Monte Cristo. It’s like a bougie ham and cheese sandwich without ham and cheese. Also a fun way to use Just Egg!

THE VEGAN
MONTE CRISTO

prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes

I still can’t think of a way to incorporate the phrase “flying circus” into this.

What you’ll need:

just egg
vegan butter
vegan ham
vegan cheese
vegan powdered sugar
vegan jam
vegan mayo
vegan mustard
vegan sandwich bread

Here’s a quick look at just about everything in the recipe. Not pictured: powdered sugar and jam.

First, it’s funny because I said vegan so many times instead of just relying on the implication. Take a container of Just Egg and give it a good shake and put it in a bowl. A bowl that a slice of bread can fit into comfortably. Next grab your ham and cheese slices and give those a shake too. Just kidding. Take a few slices of the ham/whatever and layer it one by one with slices of cheese. I used ham - cheese - ham - cheese - ham.

Next, mix up one part mustard to two parts mayo and set it aside for now. Heat up some butter in a pan on a medium flame and get your sandwich bread ready. You’re going to dredge the bread (quickly) in your Just Egg and then toss it in the pan a la French toast. Don’t keep the flame too high or your Just Egg will solidify in the pan. Also someone from Just, please sponsor me.

Cook it on each side, but don’t overcook it because it’s going back in the pan after a few more steps. Do this for as many sandwiches as you plan on making. I made two, so that’s four slices! Wow! Once you have your bread all French toasted up, let them rest for a quick second and then add your mayo/mustard mixture onto the inside of one slice. Add your ham and cheese layer and then the other bread. I just explained to you how to assemble a sandwich.

Here’s what the bread looks like once it’s out of the pan.

Next, you’re treating this as if it’s a grilled cheese. If you have a panini press, use that. You can use the same pan too if you’d like. I used a cast iron griddle and it worked great. Turn the flame to a medium setting and let the pan get to temperature. A trick I picked up from my girlfriend is to put a lid on the pan while your sandwich is cooking to help insure that the cheese melts properly. Thanks, Michelle.

It helps melt the cheese and now it looks like your sandwich is in a flying saucer!

Add a little bit of butter here and there into the pan while each side of the sandwich cooks. Flip it and keep doing it until everything looks properly cooked.

Plus you get those sexy lines if you use a press/griddle pan!

Once your sandwiches are all cooked. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on there and serve with a side of jam.

Look at that staging! I’d better get at least 20 likes on instagram. Incredible!

Now enjoy your bastard French toast grilled cheese!