The CCMC (The Central Valley Monte Cristo Sandwich - Week 6)

Roll with me here, all your Central Valley foodies!  I wanted to surprise my ever-patient taster (the Hubster) with a little pre-Valentines Day brunch so I thought "Why not give the Monte Cristo a try?"  So I picked up a nice fresh and fragrant loaf of the La Brea Toasted Sunflower and Honey loaf at the Market and added my own valley twist.  Sorry folks....so pictures because it FLEW off the plate.  :-) But I managed to steal a photo off of a recipe site so you'll get an "idea" of what it looks like BUT this is with ham (BORING)

I give you......
The CCMC - The Central Valley Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ingredients are based on a per sandwich

• 3 slices of bread (I liked the La Brea Toasted Sunflower and Honey BUT I you are in love with crust....bye bye)
• 4 slices of roasted turkey, deli sliced
• 2 slices of pepper jack cheese, deli sliced is better if you can get it
• 1 Tbsp French mustard
• 1 Tbsp central valley quince paste (or quince jam, see below) - VT Iwo Ranches (Vineyard Farmers Market) sells quince 
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c milk
• butter powdered sugar

Trim the crust off of the bread slices.  Layer as follows:  Bead down, spread with mustard, 2 slices of turkey, 1 slice of cheese, bread, spread with quince jam, 2 slices of turkey, 2 slices of cheese then the last slice of bread. Press edges together an squish flat then wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Squeeze the air out and let sit for 30 minutes.  Repeat for each sandwich.  The La Brea loaf, because of its size, ends up needing 6 slices (or)2 sandwiches per serving.  Mix up the eggs and the milk.  Heat frying pan with a few pats of butter.  Unwrap and dip sandwich in egg mixture and fry on both sides until golden brown.  Dust with powdered sugar.

I just loved the pepper jack against the quince jam.  It was really delicious.

Quince Jam

• 5 quince
• 4 c. water
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 4 c. sugar

There are several ways to prepare quince.  My method is to scrub the fuzz off and bake them at 350 till fork tender and THEN slice and peel.  Another method is to scrub the fuzz then grade (skin and all ) down to the core.  Once you have your pulp, place in a slow cooker (all the rest of the ingredients and cook over low heat until thick, stirring frequently.  I then put mine in jars and freeze.  If you get really lazy, my Mom tells me you can buy quince paste at Von's....but that's cheating!!