Sunday, September 20, 2015

Monte Cristo Sandwich

I remember the first time I had this sandwich.

I'd never heard of such a sandwich before, and it sounded so exotic to my Danish tastebuds.

Monte Cristo Sandwich
Monte Cristo Sandwich with Jelly

The name evoked images of castles and seasides and Counts.

I have a great imagination.

I was in Victoria,  at a little restaurant, which was tucked away in a shopping mall  and was kind of upscale and a place where 'ladies lunched'.  They had a proper 'tea' you could order as well as a nice assortment of sandwiches.

I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but I will never forget the sandwich.

The Monte Cristo.

It was a lightly battered and fried sandwich which contained cheese and turkey and was served with a little pot of currant jelly.  Oh, and it had a dusting of confectioners sugar over the top.

Monte Cristo Sandwich with Jelly
Heaven...

After tasting it for the first time, I was in love, and made a point of going there for that sandwich whenever I was in Victoria.    I have no idea what else was on the menu, cause I only wanted a Monte Cristo.

Fast forward a few years, I'd moved away, far, far, away and got the craving for that sandwich again.  So I decided to make it.  And it was just as good as I remembered it.  But then, I got the bright idea of combining thinly sliced ham alongside the turkey and it was better.   And I've been making it that way ever since.
This is great as a light dinner, a lunch or a brunch...

I love multi purpose meals like that.

Recipe:  Monte Cristo Sandwich
Per person
2 slices white bread (I like french bread or challah or a good bread, but use whatever kind you like)
2 thin slices ham
2 thin slices turkey
2 thin slices provolone cheese
1 egg beaten with 3 tablespoons of milk
1 Tbsp. butter for frying
Red Currant or other tart jelly for serving with the sandwich.

Whisk together the egg and milk, heat pan with the butter over medium-low heat.
To make the sandwich, lay out one slice of bread, place a slice of provolone cheese on top,

then layer the ham and turkey finishing it off with the second slice of provolone cheese and the second slice of bread on top.


























Take the assembled sandwich, dip into the egg batter, making sure that the entire sandwich has a chance to absorb the egg,













flip over, dunk the other side.  Don't let it sit too long in the egg batter though.

Place into the heated pan and cook over medium low heat until one side is nice and browned,
then flip over and cook the other side adding more butter to the pan if needed.
  This is done when the egg is cooked and the cheese is melted.
Serve on a warmed platter with some tart jelly.  I like Red Currant Jelly with this but Mayhaw Jelly is great as well.   You can also use your favourite jelly or jam, after all, it's your sandwich.


This makes a wonderful light dinner, an elegant lunch or a hearty breakfast.

And, and, and...

You can actually make a bunch of these, put them on a platter in the oven to stay warm and serve them as a special brunch.    I've also warmed the jelly in the past and poured it over the top of the sandwich, but that was a little much. 

If you want to read a little more about Monte Cristo Sandwiches, click here. 


Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

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