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Monte Cristo

Source of Recipe

From "Saveur: The New Classics"


Recipe Introduction

"People tend to have strong opinions about the Monte Cristo sandwich, a double-decker of Swiss cheese, ham, and chicken or turkey, battered, fried, and dusted with confectioners' sugar, served with jelly on the side. Some consider it a marvel; others, an absurdity. Whatever it may be, the Monte Cristo is a stunning creation, requiring careful assembly and, at the table, a knife and fork."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ cup milk
â—¦ 2 eggs
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
â—¦ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
â—¦ 6 thin slices white sandwich bread
â—¦ 4 thin slices deli-style ham
â—¦ 4 thin slices deli-style turkey
â—¦ 4 thin slices Swiss cheese
â—¦ Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
â—¦ Red currant jelly, for serving


Recipe

Lightly beat milk and eggs in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. For each sandwich, lightly butter three slices of bread on both sides (using about ½ tablespoon butter for each sandwich).

Place two slices each of ham and turkey between two slices of bread. Top each with two slices of cheese, and then top with third slice of buttered bread. Trim crusts, secure with toothpicks, and cut in half on the diagonal.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip sandwich halves in milk mixture to coat. When butter foams, place sandwiches in skillet and fry until golden brown on bottom, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet, turn sandwiches, and fry until browned on other side, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to plates, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve with jelly.

Serves 2