Maitake Mushroom Vegan French Dip Sandwich
Ever wanted to try a vegan French dip sandwich? This one doesn’t taste like a traditional French dip, but it gives you all the same feels. It’s made with thinly cut, hearty maitake mushroom, a flavorful, stretchy vegan cheese, all placed on a crispy French bread and dipped in a broth made from maitake. It’s got the crunch, the dip, the savory, salty, umami amazingness.
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All About the French Dip Sandwich
A French dip is a fairly simple sandwich, with a history reaching back about 100 years. Traditionally, it is made with roast beef, and is served “au jus”, (with the juice) or a side of the juices leftover from cooking. It is generally served on a crusty French bread, and typically has a cheese as well. The sandwich may be called French, but that name is for the bread, not the origin. There are two commonly cited origin stories of the dippable sandwich, both occurring in Los Angles, California. The first is said to have occurred after a chef accidentally dropped the bread for a sandwich in the roasting liquids, and the patron it was served to happily enjoyed the sandwich anyways. The second story is said to have been guest-directed, after a diner with some dental sensitivity asked that they crusty bread be softened for them. No matter if it was by clumsiness or to avoid dental distress, the French dip caught on, and became popular. Now you can eat your sandwich, and dip it too!
Looking for Vegan Sandwiches? Try one of these!
- Baked Eggplant Parm Vegan Sandwich
- Tomato and Garlic Vegetarian Sandwich Meat
- Cucumber and Jicama Vegan Tea Sandwiches
- Vegan Tuna Salad (Made with Jackfruit, not Chickpeas!)
- Spicy Black Bean Vegan Deli Slices
How to Identify Maitake Mushrooms
Maitake mushrooms (aka Hen of the Woods) are a large, delicious, wild fall mushroom. I have written a lot about identifying maitake mushrooms lately, so rather than repeat that dialog, I’m going to redirect you to one of those posts. You can find a good amount of information about maitake mushroom foraging and identification here.
Looking for Maitake Recipes? Try one of these!
- Maitake Mushroom Stroganoff Recipe (Vegan!)
- Bloomin’ Maitake (Vegan Hen of the Woods Recipe)
- Seared Maitake Mushroom Steaks with Persimmon Salsa
- Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté
- Collard Greens and Maitake Steamed Buns (Hen of the Woods)
- Maitake and Wild Rice Thanksgiving Salad
How to Make a Vegan French Dip from Mushrooms
We made our vegan French dip with three components- a quick cheese, the crispy maitake, and of course, the famous jus or sauce. If you like, you can skip making your own cheese and use a store bought vegan cheese instead. If you are making your own cheese, make sure you soften your cashews so you get that nice and creamy texture. Add the remaining cheese ingredients, and blend them smooth. Once the cheese is blended, it will need to be cooked in order to get it thickened up and stretchy, but you can wait to do this until you’re about to assemble your sandwiches, so it doesn’t get cold while you wait.
The maitake slices and the jus has to be done in that order. In order to get the maitake nice and cooked, we add a little water first to make sure our mushrooms have cooked all the way through. As the water evaporates, the mushrooms will start to get crispy. Once they’re crispy, taken them off the heat and set aside. But keep a hold of that skillet, because it still has all that maitake flavor.
Add a small amount of chopped mushroom into the skillet, to really keep that maitake flavor going. Cook it down with a little vegan butter, and then throw in some white wine- if you need help finding a vegan white wine, you can search for one here. Onion, garlic, and herbs will add more flavor, and vegetable oil (or water) will give the jus bulk. I left my jus in a brothy consistency, with the bits of onion, garlic and mushroom floating around, but you can always strain those out or blend them in if you like that better.
If elements of your sandwich have gotten cold while you cooked, you can always get it toasty again under the broiler in your oven. Just keep an eye on them and make sure your bread doesn’t burn like *some* of us forgot to do. You can add more elements if you like- sautéed peppers or onions, a little mustard, or a little fresh parsley would all be nice additions.
Maitake Mushroom Vegan French Dip Sandwich
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted raw cashew pieces
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 lb. maitake mushroom
- 2 tbsp. vegan butter
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ¼ cup vegan white wine
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ small onion
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup vegetable broth (or water)
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, and/or sage
- 2 French baguette rolls
Instructions
- Start by softening your cashews. You can either soak them in water overnight, place them in a pot on the stove and boil for 20 minutes, or pressure cook them in your instant pot for 10 minutes. Once soft, drain the liquid. Add the cashews, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, vegan yogurt, tapioca starch, apple cider vinegar, salt, and ¼ cup of water to a blender, and blend until smooth. Set aside for now.
- Now let’s start on our maitake- clean your mushrooms, and separate the “petals”. Slice any thicker pieces into thin ones. Take a small amount of the less beautiful bits, and finely chop it so you have about a quarter cup of “maitake mince”, and set that aside. Heat 1 tbsp. of vegan butter in a skillet, then add the mushrooms along with the dried thyme, 1/3 cup of water, and cover with a lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes, and then remove the lid, letting the water evaporate. Cook until the mushrooms are crispy, and then remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set aside.
- Next start on the au jus. Take the reserved maitake mince, and add it to the skillet you have just used, along with a second tablespoon of vegan butter. Cook until fragrant, and then add the white wine to the hot pan. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté for a couple minutes, until fragrant. Add the vegetable broth, soy sauce, and fresh herbs, and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper, and cook for a couple minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as you like. You can serve as is, or strain the solids, or puree as you prefer.
- To finish off the cheese, and your blended cashew mixture to a small-sized saucepan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring with a silicone spatula to avoid any sticking or burning on the bottom. Once the cheese is thick and shiny, remove from the heat.
- Assemble your sandwiches my cutting your rolls, and adding generous portions of the cooked maitake and the cashew cheese. Serve with a side of the au jus.
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