Monte Cristo French Toast
Monte Cristo French Toast
Everyone thinks of Monte Cristo as a sandwich. Usually this lunch sandwich is made from Ham or Turkey and cheese that is fried. We came across this while searching for another entree to serve our guests. At first it didn’t sound that appetizing for breakfast and we wondered if it would work as a breakfast menu item. But we were intrigued and so one morning when we had no guests, I tried it out. We have since served this a few times to guest and it has been a hit with them. We have changed our recipe a little as we experimented with the ingredients. So don’t be afraid to substitute something different if you are missing an ingredient. It may be a taste sensation.
Directions for 4 servings:
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 cup half & half
¼ cup sweet brown mustard (Alt: Honey Dijon Dressing)
½ cup maple syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
8 slices of challah or other thick-cut egg bread (as an alternate use 4 large crescents rolls cut in half)
16 slices of thinly slices smoked ham (Alt: turkey ham )
8 slices of Havarti (Alt: Monterey Jack, Swiss, Gruyere)
1 ripe but firm Bosc pear, sliced (Alt: Asian pear sliced into thin rounds or firm sweet apple cut into thin slices)
Powdered sugar
Fresh raspberries, for garnish
Raspberry Sauce for garnish. We use our raspberry sauce recipe that you can find in our peach pancakes recipe.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Mix the eggs, half & half, sweet mustard, all of the maple syrup, and whisk until blended, pour into a baking dish for dipping.
Soak one side of the bread.
Layer four slices of the bread with cheese, ham, sliced pear, and another layer of cheese, then top with the remaining 4 slices of bread.
Fry on a griddle over medium heat until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Move the sandwiches to a parchment-lined cookie sheet when done. Cover with aluminum foil and place the cookie sheet in oven for 20 minutes, uncovering after 15, until completely heated through.
Serve the two halves on a plate with sprinkled powdered sugar, fresh raspberries, and raspberry sauce. Sometimes we add diced kiwi for color and a light acidic bite.