Now, some would possibly say that’s not a foul factor. This sandwich — an over-the-top mash-up of French toast and grilled ham and cheese — has its detractors. I knew I had had one as soon as earlier than, however I couldn’t for the lifetime of me keep in mind the place or when. (Possibly at Bennigan’s after I was in highschool?)
Get the recipe: Monte Cristo Sandwich
As I began to discover recipes, I found that the origin of the sandwich is as murky as its ingredient listing. Some declare it’s a variation of the French croque-monsieur, however others say certainement pas! Many sources cite California within the 1960s as its birthplace, however with little documentation to again that up. Was it named after Alexandre Dumas’s “The Rely of Monte Cristo”?
We might by no means know, however we are able to cite the Oxford Encyclopedia of Meals and Drink in America’s declare that it was first written about in 1923 in an American restaurant trade publication. Nowadays, it’s a must-try sandwich at Disneyland and pops up on chain restaurant menus and fewer typically in little cafes and diners.
In some instances, of us take it means, means excessive, making it a triple-decker, including caramelized onions, and dipping the entire sandwich in pancake or beer batter earlier than deep-frying it. I wasn’t ready to go that far, and I decline to take a stand on what’s thought-about a traditional or must-have in a Monte Cristo recipe.
As an alternative, I’ll inform you the place I landed after a lot experimentation. I used two slices of hearty white bread, thinly sliced turkey and ham, and Gruyere. I unfold one slice of bread with raspberry jam and the opposite with complete grain mustard. Then, I dipped that complete sandwich in an egg wash and pan-fried it in butter till it was golden brown.
Lastly, as is conventional, I evenly sprinkled it with confectioners’ sugar, and served a dollop of jam on the aspect for dipping.
The stability of candy and savory, creamy and crunchy this created labored properly for me. After I described its contents to the gang at work, eyebrows have been cocked, however after it was photographed within the Meals Lab and tasted, it bought thumbs up throughout.
As I examined it, I noticed it was superb as a post-holiday deal with. If you wish to strive it, you should use leftover bread, turkey and/or ham and, instead of the jam, how a few smear of cranberry sauce? (I attempted the sandwich with smoked turkey and ham and actually preferred that taste as properly.) For the cheese, I choose Gruyere, however be at liberty to swap in Swiss, cheddar or your favourite selection. Some of us prefer it drizzled with maple syrup or honey slightly than sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.
That’s quite a lot of variation, I understand, so in the event you comply with just one suggestion from me, let or not it’s this: Slice the Monte Cristo in half and cut up it with somebody, served beside a crisp, inexperienced, evenly dressed salad. That is one wealthy sandwich.
Get the recipe: Monte Cristo Sandwich