The Montecristo Sandwich is the American variant of the French Croque Monsieur or the French Toast.
It is eaten with a knife and fork, generally accompanied by a red jam - the usual is raspberry one - or maple syrup. Serve for breakfast or a light dinner.
INGREDIENTS (to make a single Montecristo sandwich):
- 2 large slices of crustless white bread
- 2 slices of ham
- 1 slice of semi-fat cheese (emmental, chedar, havarti etc)
- 2 eggs
- 50 ml milk (1 quarter cup)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- Butter
- Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry jam etc.
We assemble the sandwich by placing a slice of bread on the base, on top of it a slice of ham, another of cheese and another of ham. We finished with the remaining slice of bread.
Next we prepare the batter. To do this, in a flat and deep container like for instance a soup dish, beat the eggs with the little milk, seasoning with salt and pepper.
In a frying pan, add a generous tablespoon of butter. We heat over medium heat until it melts.
We batter the sandwich, including the sides. Do not let it get completely soaked as it could break and crumble.
Place it gently on the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, until it is golden brown. Next we do the same for the other side. As you have imagined, the cheese will melt, leaving a "compact" sandwich.
It is usually divided into two triangles and is served with jam in which each piece is dipped. Some recipes sprinkle icing sugar over the sandwich, but I prefer the savory version.