An ode to Mission Sandwich Social

Rome meets San Francisco meets New York

Oct 02, 2024

Late nights, dinners out, an abundance of wine and cocktails and chitchat, old friends and new. The past week was a blur, but in the best way. I didn’t spend a significant amount of time in my kitchen (save for revitalizing the sausage and squash pasta from last week’s post), so I’m bringing back a recipe which I made but never posted – inspired by Brian Tsao’s Mission Sandwich Social in Brooklyn. I’m not entirely sure if sandwiches can technically be called “recipes,” per say, maybe just more of an ingredient list? Whatever, it’s delicious. The man’s a legend.

Mission Sandwich Social was introduced to me by one of my ex’s, and while he’ll remain…how do I put this? A lesson learned. He did introduce me to some spots that truly tantalized the taste-buds. Located in Williamsburg, Mission Sandwich Social is one chef’s homage to San Francisco and their infamous Dutch Crunch. If you don’t know (which I didn’t because I grew up in St. Louis), Dutch Crunch is a tender white bread topped with rice flour. The result – a super soft interior and a crisp, crackled exterior.

Dutch Crunch Money Shot x The Original Post Melone

Now, I can’t get Dutch Crunch in Rome, but I can find some excellent sourdough. It’d also be fantastic with some crisped up focaccia, or hey - get real crazy with it and use actual pizza for the crust. I’m not here to judge you.

So what exactly is it?

A take on the Italian prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe antipasti.

My version takes the form of a grilled cheese with provolone, vinaigrette-tossed arugula, fresh herbs, chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, paper-thin cantaloupe, a few chili flakes, and, of course, freshly sliced prosciutto.

For all of you fruit and meat pairing haters, you can go fight about it in the comments;)

THE RECIPE NAME

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 1

THE INGREDIENTS

Sourdough Bread (sliced)
Salted Butter/Olive Oil/Mayo (for pan-grilling the sandwich)
Olive Oil (1 TB, for the dressing)
Balsamic (a drizzle)
Mustard (1 tsp, dijon or stone-ground)
Salt and pepper
Chili Flakes (a sprinkle)
Arugula (a handful)
Fresh Italian Herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, whatever you have on hand)
Sun-dried tomatoes (a spoonful, in oil, chopped)
Provolone (4-6 slices, sliced thin for easy melting)
Cantaloupe (a few pieces, sliced very thin and longways – if you have a mandoline, use it)
Prosciutto (as much as you want, pile your sandwich to the sky)

This is essentially just a fancy schmancy grilled cheese and I am here just to guide you through the flavor pairings.

Step One: Thickly slice your sourdough bread and slather the outsides with butter, olive oil or mayo (dealer’s choice).

Step Two: Combine ingredients for your salad dressing and whisk in a shallow bowl (i.e. olive oil, balsamic, mustard, s&p, and chili flakes). Adjust to taste. Toss in arugula, finely chopped herbs, and sun-dried tomatoes. Mix well.

Step Three: Prep your provolone, cantaloupe and prosciutto slices. Remember to slice them thin.

Step Four: Assemble. If you’re like me, and like things heavy on the acid and spice, slather one side of your sandwich with extra mustard.

Step Five: Heat up your grill pan to a nice medium heat and place your sandwich (buttered/oiled/mayo-ed side out). Grill, flipping half-way, until you get a nice, crispy golden crust. Cut into whatever weird shapes you desire, drizzle with more balsamic (if that’s your mood) and devour.

THE PAIRING:

Post Melone Inspired Grilled Cheese x Prosecco (or Pinot Grigio)

I ate this for lunch, and was working, so I didn’t drink anything when I had it. But, I’d imagine, it would be great with a glass of Prosecco or an un-oaked crisp Italian white wine (something like a Pinot Grigio). Prosecco is a dry, sparkling wine made from the Glera grape varietal. It is only produced in one specific region in Italy known as Conegliano-Valdobiaddene and is light, sweet and refreshing. If you’d prefer something still, try out Pinot Grigio. This wine can have some fruity, melon-like flavors that would perfectly complement the cantaloupe, plus, it would cut across salty, fatty notes of the prosciutto.

Just like Champagne, Prosecco is specific to the region from where it's produced. It undergoes fermentation twice – with the second fermentation taking place in a steel vat (whereas Champagne undergoes its second fermentation in the bottle). While, technically, anyone can make a sparkling wine in this fashion, you're not allowed to call it Prosecco unless it came from the Prosecco DOC.

Stay tuned for next week’s recipe pairing!