A sweet, savory, scrumptious ham and cheese sandwich like no other! This easy Monte Cristo Sandwich will make your breakfasts and brunches extra special!
This Monte Cristo Sandwich is a sweet and savory sandwich that makes mornings extra special! Monte Cristo is an upgrade on your regular ham and cheese sandwich, made with ham, Emmental cheese or Gruyere, strawberry jam, mustard, all encased in a delicious French toast sandwich. Paired with my favorite Breakfast Casserole all of your breakfast cravings are satisfied in one place.
MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH
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Breakfast/brunch is my jam. While most people try to make something special for dinner, the first meal of the day is my specialty! Especially, on weekends, which routinely feature pancakes that I make with my easy homemade pancake mix or these hearty potato hash breakfast bowls with bacon and leftover steak! See what I mean? 🙂
And now and then, French toast wins out. And when I want to upgrade our French toast game, I turn to a Monte Cristo Sandwich recipe!
What is a Monte Cristo Sandwich?
A Monte Cristo recipe is a fried ham and cheese sandwich. Ham (and sometimes turkey) is layered with Emmental or gruyere or Swiss cheese and sandwiched between two pieces of bread. The bread slices are spread with mustard and a fruit preserve, typically strawberry or raspberry. The whole sandwich is then either,
- dipped in batter and deep fried,
- grilled
- or more commonly, dipped in an egg mixture and pan-fried.
How do I make a Monte Cristo Sandwich?
It’s easy peasy.
You can use any white bread you like to eat, but sturdy slices of toast commonly recommended. I tend to use homemade bread because the bread is delicious, sturdy but also so soft. Make sure the bread slices are no more than 1 – 1.5 cm in thickness, so you don’t have too much bread to filling ratio. That’s important.
- Spread a thin layer of mustard on half of the slices. You can use any mustard such as yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard, whole grain mustard, dijon mustards – whatever is your favorite. I prefer spicy brown because it stands up well against sweet strawberry preserve.
- Next step is to spread a layer of strawberry or raspberry preserve over the mustard. Alternatively, you can mix the mustard and strawberry and spread this mixture too.
- Place the slices of cheese, followed by slices of ham. If you want a double dose of meat, then you can add some deli turkey breast slices too. Or if you don’t like ham, substitute with turkey.
- I like to add another slice of cheese after the deli meats because the melted cheese makes sure the bread slices stay in place. But if you don’t want more cheese, you can leave that out.
- Butter the other bread slices and place them over the cheese. Then press down the sandwich a little, now it’s ready to be dipped in the egg mix.
- Once both sides of the sandwich have been drenched in the egg mix, they are pan fried on each side until golden brown.
How do I serve this Monte Cristo Sandwich?
The sandwich served with the strawberry and mustard side facing up. Cut in half and serve will still warm, with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar on top, and extra preserves and maple syrup on the side.
When you cut into this glorious sandwich, you will see the cheese oozing out, mixed with mustard and strawberry, making for an amazingly delicious ham and cheese sandwich that’s sure to make an occasion out of your breakfast/brunch!
For more breakfast recipes,
- Ham Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Chorizo and Potato Breakfast Tacos
- Spinach Tomato Breakfast Casserole
- Spinach Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bites
- More breakfast recipes…
Tools used to make this Monte Cristo Sandwich
Non-stick fry pan: Essential for frying Monte Cristo sandwiches, without having it stick to the pan.
Spatula: A good spatula to flip the sandwich over, without making a mess.
Ingredients
- 4 slices of white bread
- 3 tbsp strawberry preserves
- 2 tsp spicy brown mustard
- 6 oz grated Emmental cheese or gruyere or swiss cheese (or 6 slices)
- 4 slices of ham or 6 - 8 thinly sliced deli ham
- 1 tbsp butter salted or unsalted
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- Generous pinch of salt
- Extra preserves to serve
- Confectioner’s sugar to serve
- Maple syrup to serve
Instructions
- Place the slices of bread on a board.
- On two of the slices, spread a thin layer of mustard, followed by the strawberry preserves.
- Place two slices of cheese on top of the strawberry preserves, on each of the bread slices.
- Divide the ham between the two slices of bread.
- Place another slice of cheese on top of the ham.
- Spread butter on the remaining slices of bread, and place each one on top of the sandwich.
- Gently press down on each sandwich to flatten it slightly.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat with a little oil or butter.
- While the pan is heating, whisk the two eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt in a flat container.
- When the pan has heated, place a sandwich in the egg mixture for about 5 seconds on each side. Carefully place the egg coated sandwich in the pan. Cook each side for about 4 - 5 minutes until golden brown, and the cheese has melted.
- If the sandwiches turn brown before the cheese melts, don’t worry! Preheat the oven to 300°F, and place the sandwiches on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Toast the sandwiches in the oven for about 5 - 10 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Once the sandwiches are ready to serve, place each sandwich on a plate and cut them in half using a serrated knife. Dust the tops with confectioner’s sugar and serve with extra preserves and maple syrup.
Nutrition
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