SAN DIEGO — My first memory of a Monte Cristo sandwich is when my family would go to Disneyland and ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean. The blue bayou restaurant served them and I fell in love. But where I learned how to make them is when I worked at the San Diego Zoo in the 1980's at the café.
Monte Cristo
- 8 slices of crusty sourdough bread
- Ham or honey cured turkey sliced, 3 - 4 oz. per sandwich
- Swiss or Gruyere cheese sliced, 2 oz. per sandwich
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk or half & half
- 4 tbsp. butter
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar
- Kosher salt & pepper
Combine eggs, dairy, a pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper in a large bowl and whip. Layout your bread and spread a light coating of mayonnaise on both sides and dijon mustard on one side. On the dijon mustard side place your cheese, then your ham or turkey, don't lay it flat ruffle it up a bit. Top with the other slice of bread mayonnaise side down. Hold the sandwich together and dip both sides in egg batter, use 1/2 of a tablespoon of butter per side, and place in a medium heat skillet. Cook for about 3 - 4 minutes per side until golden brown, don't forget to brown the sides. Remove from heat, slice on an angle, top with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry jam.
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