MONTECRISTO SANDWICH
An amazing combination between the classic ham and cheese sandwich and french toast. The montecristo sandwich is like the beautiful baby of the two. Thanks to that combination, this is a sandwich you can make for any time of the day. It goes well for breakfast, brunch, lunch, even dinner. I don’t know if the classic ham and cheese sandwich needs an upgrade to be honest. Any kind of bread, a looot of cheese and ham with a bit of butter. Just thinking about it takes me back to my grandma’s house as a little girl. Amazing. On the other hand, we have french toast. A soft buttery bread like brioche sliced into big slices. Submerge those slices in an egg and milk mixture with some cinnamon. Serve that with some powdered sugar and pancake syrup or some flavor of jam.
The montecristo sandwich caught my eye mainly because I’ve always loved the sweet and savory combination in one single bite. I love this sandwich for a weekend brunch. I’ll make myself a huge cup of black coffee, this sandwich and some pancake syrup.
Are you in the mood for brunch? I’ll link some recipes just in case.
What makes this montecristo sandwich special:
Let’s start talking about the bread. For this sandwich recipe, I recommend brioche. In my home town, I’ve found brioche sliced like sandwich bread. You can’t imagine how happy that made me. Yes, sliced bread made me happy. If not, you can buy it whole and slice it yourself. You will be using 3 slices per sandwich. That extra slice in the middle is the one that will maintain the structure of the sandwich.
The filling in this sandwich is a combination of two different cheeses and two proteins. First choose a stronger cheese like swiss or provolone. The other cheese is our classic mozzarella. On the other hand, the protein. A combination of turkey breast slices and regular ham will make this montecristo perfect.
Now, once the sandwich is assembled, cover it completely with a mixture of eggs and milk. Finish it off by cooking it on a pan over medium heat and a lot of butter. Delicious. This sandwich has to be served or eaten right away and with something sweet on the side. That something sweet can be powdered sugar, pancake syrup or some type of jam. Really, trust me on this, try it. You’ll love it.
Tips for a perfect sandwich:
Making a montecristo sandwich: Spread some dijon mustard on one of the bread slices and mayo on the other two. First add the swiss cheese and the turkey breast slices on top of the dijon mustard. Close that with one of the mayo slices, mayo side down. Add some more mustard on that slice and add the mozarella and ham on top of that. Close it with the final mayo slice. Press the sandwich down a bit. Place the entire sandwich on the egg mixture and carefully flip it around to cover both sides. You don’t need to let it soak in there, just a coupel of seconds to make sure its covered.
Cooking the sandwich: Place a pan over medium heat and add a lot of butter, a tablespoon. Once that is melted, add the sandwich and let it cook slowly. Cover the pan and let it heat in there. Slowly flip the sandwich to cook on the other side. Cook until the cheese is completely melted.
Serving: The important thing about this montecristo sandwich is that is has to be served warm. The cheese inside has to be melted and the bread warm. As soon as you finish cooking it, slice it in half and add the sweet element of the plate. I recommend powdered sugar. It looks and tastes so good.
Equipment:
Rectangular baking dish: Or a square one. I find using this for the egg mixture is so much more comfortable.
Knife: Use this to spread mayo and mustard on the bread slices.
Pan: Use one big enough to cook the sandwich easily.
Fork: Or a whisk for the egg mixture.
Chopping board: I find making the sandwich on a board better than on a plate. More space.
Teflon spatula: To flip the sandwich carefully.
MONTECRISTO SANDWICH
Ingredients
- 6 Slices of Brioche bread
- Dijon Mustard
- Mayo
- 100 gr swiss cheese
- 2 slices of mozarella cheese
- 2 Slices of turkey breast slices
- 2 Slices of ham
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Splash of milk
- 1 Pinch of cinnamon
- Butter
Instructions
- Break the eggs over a bowl or rectangular baking dish. Add a splash of milk and the cinnamon. Mix well.
- Spread dijon over 1 slice of bread per sandwich and mayo over the other two.
- Add swiss cheese and turkey breast over the dijon. Cover with one of the slices of bread, mayo side down.
- Spread some more dijon over that slice of bread.
- Add mozarella and ham over the dijon and close the sandwich with the last slice of bread.
- Place the sandwich in the egg mixture. Cover both sides.
- Add a tablespoon of butter on the pan and let it melt over medium heat. Add the sandwich to cook. Cook on both sides until cheese inside is completely melted.
- Serve warm with powdered sugar on top.
