How to Make Both Grilled and Crunchy Monte Cristo Sandwiches

When Dennis was younger, his dad would pack jam and cheese sandwiches for camping and fishing trips. They might not have been the most pristine sandwiches, but they kept well. Later in life, he was introduced to the Monte Cristo sandwich–still the same jam and cheese, but these had ham and mustard added in and were either grilled or fried. It was an upgrade to the classic grilled cheese sandwich we never knew we needed. Here’s what makes them so good:

• Not your ordinary grilled cheese! It’s more than just grilled cheese, and it tastes so much better with the addition of ham combined with cheese, raspberry jam, and mustard between two slices of bread fresh out of the grill or fryer.
• Great tasting! You wouldn’t think that raspberry jam and mustard would ever belong on the same sandwich, but with the other flavors from the sandwich, it just works, and you won’t find a better sandwich!
• Can be grilled of fried! You have options for your Monte Cristo sandwich, whether you want to grill it like a grilled cheese (best if you’re short on time) or dip it in batter and deep fry it to give it a heavenly crispy crunch when you bite into it.
• So many variations! You’re not limited to the flavors. You can use any deli meat, jam, sauce, cheese, or bread that you want. The only requirement is that you have some combination of sweet and spicy, meat and cheese, and bread that had been fried or grilled into one tasty sandwich. If you don’t like one type of bread, swap it out! If you want to try another type of cheese, you can absolutely do that! The Monte Cristo is so versatile that you can really make it your own.

The Original Monte Cristo Sandwich

This is an old French sandwich that came about circa 1910. It became popular in America in the 1930’s and then seem to drop out of sight in the 1960’s. They were incredibly popular in diners and other casual restaurants. In any case, they were made with meat, usually ham, a soft cheese, raspberry jam, and mustard or a hot sauce. This delightful lunch item has now become more of a its own category of sandwich rather than a singular sandwich recipe: a meat and cheese sandwich cooked like French toast or deep fried. In each of our recipes, we’ve retained the essential sweet layer by using either a jam or a flavored honey.

Choosing the Right Bread

Just like with French toast, you'll want to start by using a thick, hearty sandwich bread. The best way to do that is by making your own bread, especially from a bread mix. Some of our favorites for this recipe are:

Country Farm White Bread Mix

Diego's Jalapeno Cheese Bread Mix

Buttermilk White Bread Mix

There are many upsides to using a bread mix, but one of the biggest perks is that it's practically fool-proof. They are all bread machine friendly bread mixes, so if you make them that way, it makes the whole process even easier!

How to Make Your Monte Cristo Sandwich: Grilling or Deep Frying

Grilling Your Monte Cristo

To grill your Monte Cristo sandwich, you can cook it just like you would French toast or a grilled cheese sandwich. Dredge the sandwich in an egg mixture and then grill it on a hot griddle until both sides are golden brown. The result is much like a French toast sandwich but so much better.

Frying Your Monte Cristo

Just like with most food, this sandwich tastes absolutely heavenly when deep fried. You dip it into a tempura batter until it’s covered and put it into a hot deep fryer until it’s golden brown on both sides. The result is a nice, crispy sandwich with the fried batter holding everything together.

How to Use the Monte Cristo Sandwich as a Template

Starting with the Basics

As mentioned earlier, the Monte Cristo sandwich has become somewhat of its own sandwich category, making it a great template for variations. As long as you stick with the basic components of the sandwich, you can let your imagination soar from there. You will of course need:

• Sandwich bread
• Deli meat
• Cheese
• A sweet layer of jam or honey
• A spicy layer of sauce or mustard

To show you just how versatile this sandwich can be, three of my favorite variations are:

The Original Monte Cristo Sandwich You can never go wrong with the classic, most basic version of this recipe.

Southwest Monte Cristo Sandwich If you’re craving a little extra spice, try this Tex-Mex twist.

Honey Ham Monte Cristo For a slightly elevated, more sophisticated sandwich, take a chance on this delectable treat.

The Original Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 8 slices hearty bread
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 8 slices of provolone or Swiss cheese
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham

Directions:

1. Set aside eight slices of hearty bread.  If all you have is very light bread that may come apart when dipped in the egg mixture, toast the bread before beginning.
2. Mix the eggs, milk, salt, dry mustard, and white pepper together in a shallow bowl.
3. Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on the bread slices.  Place a slice of cheese on four of the slices. Spread jam over each of the four cheese slices. Cover the jam with deli ham.  Add another thin layer of jam, then cheese, and then top with the remaining bread slices to make a sandwich.
4. Heat a griddle or large frying pan.  Melt a little butter just before frying the sandwiches.
5. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture, turn the sandwich in the egg mixture, and place the sandwiches on the hot griddle. Cook as you would a grilled cheese sandwich, turning the sandwich when one side is golden brown.  Serve hot. 

Southwest Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 8 slices Jalapeno bread
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon South of the Border Seasoning
• 8 slices provolone or Swiss cheese
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham

Directions:

1. Set aside eight slices of jalapeno bread. 
2. Mix the egg and milk together in a shallow bowl. Gradually whisk in flour.
3. Mix mayonnaise and south of the border seasoning together and spread on slices. Place a slice of cheese on four of the slices. Place the ham over the cheese. Add another layer of cheese. Finally add a tomato slice on top of the second slice of cheese and top with the remaining bread slices to finish the sandwiches.
4. Heat a griddle or large frying pan.  Melt a little butter just before frying the sandwiches.
5. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture and place the sandwiches on the hot griddle.  Cook as you would a grilled cheese sandwich, turning the sandwich when one side is golden brown.  Serve hot. 

Honey Ham Monte Cristo

Ingredients:

• 8 slices hearty bread
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 8 slices of provolone or Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
• a dash of dried chipotle peppers or hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Set aside eight slices of hearty bread.  If all you have is very light bread that may come apart when dipped in the egg mixture, toast the bread.
2. Mix the eggs, milk, salt, dry mustard, and white pepper together in a shallow bowl.
3. Make the honey spread by mixing the honey, mustard, and peppers together. Set it aside.
4. Place a slice of cheese on four of the slices. Layer the honey mustard spread on the four cheese slices. Top with ham. Add another thin layer of the spread, followed by more cheese, and topped with the remaining bread slices to finish the sandwich.
5. Heat a griddle or large frying pan.  Melt a little butter just before frying the sandwiches.
6. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture, turn the sandwich in the egg mixture, and place the sandwiches on the hot griddle. Cook as you would a grilled cheese sandwich, turning the sandwich when one side is golden brown.  Serve hot. 

As you can see, there is so much you can do with this sandwich, and I hope you give this old-fashioned recipe a try or give it new life with one of your own variations. The Monte Cristo is truly a forgotten gem, and with endless flavor possibilities, you just can’t go wrong!