Recipes

[IamMrsG]

Today was a day, so tonight's priority was quick and easy.  Here ya go:

Monte Christo Sandwich

Per Sandwich:

2 slices bread
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 slices cooked ham
2 slices turkey (optional)
1 slice Swiss cheese

Batter for 3 sandwiches:

3/4 cup flour
½ Tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold water
1 egg

At table:
Raspberry or Strawberry jam
Confectioner's sugar

Spread inside slices of bread with mayonnaise and mustard. (I do one condiment per slice.)   Build sandwich, alternating ham, Swiss and turkey slices on bread.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl wide enough to lay the sandwiches into.  Mix the cold water and egg together.  Stir the water/egg slowly into the flour mixture just until smooth.  

Dip the sandwich into the batter, covering both sides well.  

Heat a skillet over medium heat,  and melt a generous tablespoon or more of butter in it.  

Slowly brown the sandwich on both sides. Serve hot.

My notes:

• I use Dijon mustard instead of prepared. 
• As weird as it may seem, I urge you Do Not omit the jam.  (You can skip the confectioners' sugar, though, without missing it.)   I set a ramekin of each on the table.  We lightly sprinkle the sugar over the sandwich and put a large dollop of the jam onto our plates for spreading onto bites of the sandwich.  The raspberry jam is a delicious complement.

[shoekitty]

Is this like a savory french toast.  I have never seen this recipe, it is interesting.  I do not eat meat, but I would make this with just the cheese, jam and maybe turkey pastrami.

Thanks for the recipe!  I love this board for this reason.

[IamMrsG]

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@shoekitty wrote:

Is this like a savory french toast.  I have never seen this recipe, it is interesting.  I do not eat meat, but I would make this with just the cheese, jam and maybe turkey pastrami.

Thanks for the recipe!  I love this board for this reason.

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Exactly!  You're welcome for the recipe, and I hope you enjoy it.

[Peaches McPhee]

Giggling.  If this is your idea of "quick and easy", you'll faint at my house.  My "quick and easy" is take out, or go to the local diner. 

[Black Pony]

Thanks for taking a minute to share your recipe.  To me there is nothing better than a Monte Cristo sandwich!  I think they are well worth the calories.  I haven't attempted making one at home, but I can't wait to try this out.

[house_cat]

Tuesday is our sandwich night.  DH works late at the food pantry and doesn't get home until 8 pm, so I like to make something easy.  In the winter months we have soup and sandwich and in the warmer months we have sandwich and salad. Tonight we are having caprese panini - fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil.

FYI - I don't have a panini press.  I heat up my cast iron skillet and the top of a smaller one.  I press the panini with the top of the smaller skillet.  They always turn out beautifully.

[IamMrsG]

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@house_cat wrote:

Tuesday is our sandwich night.  DH works late at the food pantry and doesn't get home until 8 pm, so I like to make something easy.  In the winter months we have soup and sandwich and in the warmer months we have sandwich and salad. Tonight we are having caprese panini - fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil.

FYI - I don't have a panini press.  I heat up my cast iron skillet and the top of a smaller one.  I press the panini with the top of the smaller skillet.  They always turn out beautifully.

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House_cat, your sandwich, caprese panini, sounds delicious.  Do you use balsamic vinegar with it?  

BTW, I do not have a panini press either -- I use a brick wrapped in multiple layers of foil and keep it stored among my cast iron skillets. 

[ChynnaBlue]

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@house_cat wrote:

Tuesday is our sandwich night.  DH works late at the food pantry and doesn't get home until 8 pm, so I like to make something easy.  In the winter months we have soup and sandwich and in the warmer months we have sandwich and salad. Tonight we are having caprese panini - fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil.

FYI - I don't have a panini press.  I heat up my cast iron skillet and the top of a smaller one.  I press the panini with the top of the smaller skillet.  They always turn out beautifully.

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Caprese sandwiches are delicious. Love your DIY panini press.

[ChynnaBlue]

Monte Christo sandwiches are delicious! Your recipe and instructions are great and very clear.

In my house, quick and easy means no recipe needed. Slap condiments, meat, and veggies on bread and eat them. Or even easier, use my smartphone app to order Chinese from the office parking lot and pick up on way home.

[IamMrsG]

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@ChynnaBlue wrote:

Monte Christo sandwiches are delicious! Your recipe and instructions are great and very clear. In my house, quick and easy means no recipe needed..."

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I'm glad the "recipe" is clear enough.  As I was typing it, more as a set of  instruction than recipe, I was trying to think of someone who might not be familiar with the sandwich.  Shoekitty's calling it savory French Toast was spot-on -- I wish I had thought of it.