Best Monte Cristo recipes: How to make an amazing Monte Cristo sandwich

In honor of National Sandwich month in Western New York, learn how to make an amazing Monte Cristo sandwich. Whether you are a meat eater or a vegan, you can enjoy one of these two Monte Cristo sandwich recipes: Classic Monte Cristo sandwich and Vegan Monte Cristo sandwich.

You can find the ingredients for the first Monte Cristo sandwich recipe at all three Western New York Budwey's locations.

The Monte Cristo sandwich not only makes a wonderful lunch, but served with a bowl of vegetable beef barley or tomato provencal soup, salad and dessert, you'll have a hearty, tummy-filling dinner for $10 for four people.

What is a Monte Cristo sandwich? It's French toast stuffed with ham, turkey and cheese. Though this sandwich tends to vary from recipe to recipe, the basic sandwich is two slices of white bread containing ham and/or turkey and a slice of cheese then dipped in beaten egg and fried in butter. A classic Monte Cristo sandwich should come with a side of jelly to dip it in. Try this simple strawberry freezer jam recipe for your Monte Cristo sandwich recipe.

Classic Monte Cristo sandwich recipe

Ingredients:

8 slices thick-cut bread (brioche or challah are the best, but any thick-cut white bread will do; you just want to make sure it doesn't have a hard crust like French or Italian bread)

4 tsp. mayonnaise

4 tsp. prepared mustard

8 thinly sliced cooked ham

8 thinly sliced cooked turkey

16 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese, cut in half

4 large egg

2 cups milk

Directions:

Spread bread with mayonnaise and mustard; cut the crusts off the bread. Assemble the sandwich by alternating ham, cheese, and turkey slices on bread.

Beat egg and milk in a small bowl. Dip the sandwich in the egg and milk mixture, coating both side completely (as if making French toast). Heat a greased skillet over medium heat, brown the sandwich on both sides. Yield: 4 sandwiches

Rachael's Recipe Notes:

Add 1 teaspoon powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to the egg and milk mixture for a bit of added sweetness.

After experimenting with this Monte Cristo recipe several times, we have found that having the ham and turkey "shaved" works very nicely. You'll need about 1/4 pound of shaved ham and 1/4 pound shaved turkey for this recipe. We also like the cheese cut very thin. It just melts better when thinly sliced.

To save even more money, I suggest picking up a small ham and a small turkey breast whenever you find them on sale. When wrapped well, they will keep in the freezer for at least 9 months. Bake the ham, roast the turkey breast. Thinly slice the meat once cooked and cooled.

A pound of ham or turkey at the deli will cost you between $4 and $8 per pound. Cooking and slicing your own ham and turkey, you'll pay $2 or less per pound for better quality meat with less preservatives. Once sliced, the meat can be repackaged and refrozen for up to 6 months.

For those who are vegan and want to enjoy a Monte Cristo sandwich, this Examiner offers you a vegan Monte Cristo sandwich recipe. You can find vegan cheese and egg replacer at most Wegman's locations. You may have to call and ask if they carry the vegan ham and turkey. Wegman's only carries the shredded Daiya cheese, but that will work just fine. Contact the Lexington Co-op to find out if they have the vegan ham, turkey and cheese in stock.

Vegan Monte Cristo sandwich recipe

Ingredients:

2/3 cup water

1 egg replacer equivalent of 1 egg (such as Ener-G egg replacer)

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1-3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 slices soft sandwich bread

4 slices vegan ‘ham’ deli meat

4 slices vegan ‘turkey’ deli meat

4 slices vegan mozzarella (such as Teese or Daiya)

1 Tbsp. organic powdered sugar

Raspberry/your favorite jam

vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Heat approximately 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a pan to 350*F. (I spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and use slightly less oil).

Mix the first five ingredients in large mixing bowl and set aside.

Put the sandwiches together: bread, vegan ham, vegan mozzarella, vegan turkey, bread.

Carefully dip each sandwich into the batter and completely coat. Fry the sandwiches in the oil until lightly browned and then set on a paper towel covered plate to cool.

Lightly dust the tops of the sandwiches with the powdered sugar. Serve with jam on the side for dipping. Cut each sandwich in half or quarters before serving. Yield: 2 sandwiches

Of course, as with any recipe, there are dozens of variations of the Monte Cristo sandwich. The Food Network Monte Cristo recipe uses Gouda cheese. AllRecipes.com's Monte Cristo sandwich recipes uses Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere. Copycat.com Bennigan's Monte Cristo recipe uses American and Swiss cheeses and whole wheat bread.

Whatever way you choose to make your Monte Cristo sandwich, this Examiner is sure you will enjoy it. Find a Monte Cristo sandwich recipe you like and you will find that making the Monte Cristo sandwich at home will save you money and fill your tummy. What a great combination, a full wallet and a full tummy!

Follow the Buffalo Frugal Living Examiner's frugal adventures on Examiner

Don't miss another recipe, frugal find, household tip or freebie! Follow Rachael on Facebook and Twitter
Follow Rachael's blog for more recipes, frugal finds, household tips and freebies

Rachael Monaco also writes Rachael's Food Buzz for Niagara Buzz, and is a Community Blogger for WGRZ TV 2 Your Town

All articles, recipes, recipe notes and adaptations (and photographs, where applicable) are under copyright and cannot be copied or reposted without prior written consent by the author. Partial reposting is permitted with a link back to the original article. For consent, questions or comments email byrachael@gmail.com