Creamy Eggplant & Mushroom Monte Cristo -- The Casserole Caleb Brought

Mid-June. Tommy is coming. Kai called Sunday to say they're driving out the last week of June — Kai, Danielle, Tommy — for ten days. The longest visit they've ever done. Kai said: Tommy asked when we could come. We came. I said: thank you. He said: don't thank me. He said: he's asking because of you. I said: he's asking because of all of us. He said: yeah. He said: he asks a lot. He asks about Pawpaw a lot. The word doesn't leave his mouth easily — it comes out paw-paw, with a serious five-year-old gravity, and Kai sent me a voice memo of Tommy saying it. I listened to the memo three times.

The garden is in full June. Cucumbers daily, squash daily, beans every other day. Cherry tomatoes by the handful. Hannah and I are at the kitchen table most evenings doing something with the harvest — pickling cucumbers, freezing beans, sauteing squash. The food forest is starting on the early plums. Mulberries are mostly done. Blackberries are just starting to size up.

Caleb came Saturday. He brought a casserole — chicken and rice with mushrooms — and Miriam came with him. We sat outside for the afternoon, watching the light slow down. Miriam talked to Hannah about the seed library at Elohi. Hannah invited Miriam to volunteer Saturdays at the Tahlequah community garden. Miriam said: I'd love that. They're finding their friendship outside Caleb. I watched it happen. The friendship-of-women that does not require men present is one of the deeper things in the world, and Miriam and Hannah are building one. It will hold.

The cohort's summer break is real now. Six weeks until I see them. I've been sketching the curriculum updates I want to make in the fall — more emphasis on shop safety, a new module on metal art, more time on overhead welding (the technique I dread teaching but must teach better). The cohort is the largest sustained project of my life now. The land is the property. The cohort is the work. The two are the spine of who I am at fifty-three, and I find I don't need to do many other things to feel like a complete person.

Caleb’s casserole — chicken and rice, mushrooms through it — was the kind of thing you don’t ask for a recipe for, you just receive it. It sat on the counter while we talked and the light went long, and I thought about what it means to show up with food. This Monte Cristo, layered with eggplant and mushrooms and that creamy pull through the whole thing, has the same spirit: it’s intentional, it’s warm, it’s something you make when the people around the table matter to you.

Creamy Eggplant & Mushroom Monte Cristo

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 8 slices thick-cut brioche or sourdough bread
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Powdered sugar and raspberry jam for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Salt the eggplant. Lay eggplant rounds on a paper towel, sprinkle both sides with salt, and let sit 10 minutes. Pat dry to draw out moisture and prevent sogginess.
2. Cook the mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook 6–8 minutes until golden and most liquid has evaporated. Stir in thyme. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Sear the eggplant. In the same skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Cook eggplant rounds 3–4 minutes per side until tender and lightly browned. Set aside.
4. Make the creamy filling. In a bowl, stir together cream cheese, sour cream, and Gruyere until smooth. Fold in the cooked mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Assemble the sandwiches. Spread a generous layer of the cream cheese mushroom mixture on 4 slices of bread. Layer eggplant rounds over the filling, then top with the remaining bread slices, pressing gently to close.
6. Make the egg wash. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and milk with a pinch of salt until fully combined.
7. Cook the Monte Cristos. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Dip each sandwich in the egg wash, letting each side soak for about 15 seconds. Cook 3–4 minutes per side, pressing lightly, until deep golden brown and the filling is heated through. Work in batches, adding remaining butter as needed.
8. Serve. Slice diagonally and serve warm. A light dusting of powdered sugar and a spoonful of raspberry jam on the side is traditional and cuts the richness beautifully — don’t skip it if you have them.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 680mg