Monte Cristo is America's answer to the French classic Croque Monseur. Most commonly made with ham, but also found made with turkey and other sliced meats. Gruyere is the most common type of cheese used but really, you can't go wrong no matter what type of cheese you use, just as long as it's a good melting cheese!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time8 minutesmins
Total Time13 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2
Calories: 442cal
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Ingredients
4slicesbread of choice(Note 1)
1large egg or 2 small eggs
1tbspmilk
Salt
2tspmayonnaise(I like whole egg mayo)
2 - 4slicesgruyere cheese(or other grated or sliced melting cheese of choice)
Ham or turkey, sliced or shaved
1 - 2tbspunsalted butter
Instructions
Lightly whisk egg, milk and a generous pinch of salt in a flat bowl.
Spread 2 slices of bread with mayonnaise.
Top with ham, then cheese, then sandwich with remaining slices of bread. Press down firmly.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Dip each side of the sandwiches briefly in the egg mixture, then place in skillet.
Cook the first side, pressing down with an egg flip, for 3 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes, pressing down firmly with the egg flip, until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Serve immediately, while hot!
Notes
1. This is great made with artisan (e.g. sourdough) bread or ordinary sandwich bread. Sourdough yields a slightly crunchier golden crust whereas sandwich bread has a higher ratio of soft gooey melted cheese and hot ham. I enjoy both!2. No one should be counting calories for holiday eating! But because I know you will want to make this much more often than just in the days after Christmas, here you go. This is the nutrition for 1 Monte Cristo, assuming it's made with ordinary white sandwich bread.