Sunnys Monte Cristo Recipes

MONTE CRISTO

Steps:

• Preheat a griddle and deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the griddle. Dunk the Texas toast on both sides in the French Toast Custard and grill until golden brown. Flip and add 1 slice Swiss cheese to each slice of toast. Then add 3 ounces ham on top of 6 of the toast slices, then top the ham with another slice of Swiss cheese. Top each ham and cheese toast with a cheese only toast, to form 6 sandwiches. Cook until the cheese melts, then remove from griddle and cool. Dunk the cooled sandwiches in the pancake batter until fully covered and put into the fryer. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. Serve with the Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup.
• Beat the eggs well, then add the sugar and mix until emulsified and all the sugar has dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until combined.
• Add the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and maple syrup to a saucepot. Place over medium heat and cook until fruit is soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then carefully puree with a hand blender.

MONTE CRISTO BREAKFAST SANDWICH

Steps:

• Make the French toast: Whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Place the bread slices in the bowl of egg mixture and coat both sides. Heat 2 skillets (each large enough to hold 2 slices of bread) over medium heat. Add half of the butter to each. When the butter begins to foam and brown slightly on the edges, arrange 2 slices of bread in each skillet. Cook until the undersides have browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the slices over and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, reducing the heat to medium-low if the bread is browning too quickly. Transfer the French toast to a plate and let cool slightly. Wipe out the skillets. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook the sandwiches: Return the skillets to medium heat and add about 1 tablespoon butter to each. Allow the butter to melt and froth, swirling to coat the bottoms of the skillets. Divide the eggs between the skillets and spread evenly on the bottoms. Arrange two slices of the French toast, slightly apart, in each skillet. Cook, shaking the skillets a little bit so the eggs don't stick, until the eggs on the bottom of the skillet sear and firm up, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Finish: Divide and spread the remaining butter on the tops of the 4 slices of French toast. Slide a spatula underneath the eggs and flip everything over so the buttered French toast slices are now on the bottoms of the skillets. Season with salt. Layer on top of one piece of French toast per skillet with the cheese, ham and turkey. Slide the spatula under one slice of the French toast and fold it over the other so it looks like a sandwich! Repeat with the second skillet. Transfer the skillets to the oven until the cheese melts and the centers get hot, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut each in half. Serve two halves on each plate with maple syrup for drizzling and dunking.

ITALIAN MONTE CRISTO

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the jam, mustard and rosemary. Lay out the slices of bread. Divide the mustard mixture evenly over the 8 slices of bread and spread almost to the edges. Put a slice of cheese on each piece of bread, followed by 2 slices of prosciutto. Put together 2 of the bread slices for each sandwich.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the heavy cream and salt and whisk to combine.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil to the pan and heat for 1 minute. Working with one sandwich at a time, dip both sides of the sandwich in the batter and place directly into the hot pan. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Cover with a lid and allow to cook until the first side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the lid, flip each sandwich and continue to cook on the remaining side until golden brown and the cheese is melted, approximately another 4 minutes. (Or cook in batches if needed.)
• Sprinkle one side of each sandwich with powdered sugar and serve warm.

MONTE CRISTOS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salad dressing and Dijon mustard; spread over 1 side of each slice of bread. On 4 slices, layer the turkey, ham and Swiss cheese; top with remaining bread. In a shallow bowl, combine the eggs, cream and ground mustard. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture., On a griddle or large skillet, melt butter. Toast sandwiches over medium heat until bread is golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with preserves.

SUNNY'S MONTE CRISTO BREAKFAST PLANK

Steps:

• For the bread: Using a serrated knife, make a rectangular block of the bread by slicing off the ends and leveling the top and bottom of the loaf. There should be no crust left. Slice the block in half lengthwise, making 2 planks.
• In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream, chili powder, sriracha, eggs, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Pour the mixture into a wide flat dish, large enough to dunk the bread. Carefully dip each plank in the egg mixture, coating all sides.
• Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the bread planks and cook on all sides until the batter is set and the bread is light golden, 4 to 5 minutes on each large side, and another 2 minutes for each edge.
• For the filling: While still on the griddle, spread the raspberry jam on the entire top of one plank. Top with 4 slices of Gruyere, then all of the ham and turkey, shredding the meat as you go. Then cover with the remaining 4 slices of Gruyere. Like Jeff Mauro says, "crust to crust is a must!" In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and mustard together. Spread this mixture on the top of the remaining plank and lay it, mayonnaise-side down, on the other topped plank. Put an overturned metal bowl over the sandwich and cook a few minutes more to melt the cheese.
• For the finish: Carefully remove to a baking sheet and allow to cool slightly. Dust with powdered sugar and use a serrated knife to cut 1 1/2-inch finger planks along the length. Serve with maple syrup to drizzle or dunk.