Monte Cristo Sandwich

No more soggy Monte Cristo sandwiches with this French toast technique on both sides of the bread, at the same time, while building the sandwich right in the pan.

A Monte Cristo is essentially a ham and cheese sandwich with French toast on the outside of the bread. Two pieces of bread are stuffed with ham (sometimes turkey), gruyere, mustard, and mayo. Then the entire thing is dipped in beaten egg and pan fried. 

It’s delicious, until it’s not. 

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been served a soggy-sided sandwich, where the egg-dipped sides of the bread never touched a hot pan. Or how many times the egg mixture leaked onto the inside of the bread, where it never had a chance to fully cook. I’m not sure which is worse, but these have always been Monte Cristo deal breakers for me.

My version of a Monte Cristo sandwich solves that soggy bread problem by making the French toast happen on both sides of the bread, at the same time, while building the sandwich right in the pan.

This isn’t your typical grilled ham and cheese, and certainly not your typical Monte Cristo. It’s a technique that moves quickly, and is so satisfying when you see a pile of these melty, gooey sandwiches stacked on a plate. 

Why Two-Sided French Toast Is Better

The egg mixture used to make a Monte Cristo isn’t anything to write home about. It’s ordinary, mundane for the most part, and is a lost opportunity for flavor, in my opinion. A French toast custard, however, incorporates milk or cream, salt, sugar, and sometimes nutmeg or cinnamon. In other words, it has flavor.

It doesn’t take any more time to add milk and flavoring to a beaten egg. So it made sense to me to use a French toast custard method for a Monte Cristo. You can probably figure out the rest of my thought process after this eureka moment… since I’m using a French toast custard, why not just make French toast. If I’m making French toast, there won’t be any chance for soggy bread on the inside of the Monte Cristo because the egg custard will be cooked on every side of the bread. Eureka, indeed!

Preparing Your Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk (cream or half-and-half works, too), salt, and sugar until perfectly smooth. Transfer this mixture to a shallow baking dish that’s large enough to fit one slice of bread. 

A sturdy sandwich bread works best. However I’ve used brioche slices, too, and as long as you work with a delicate hand, it makes the most delicious sandwich.

Grate the gruyere and divide it into four portions. Have all of the bread slices and ham slices handy and ready to go, too. This entire process moves quickly, so I find it helpful to place all of the ingredients on a large sheet pan, close to me at the stove, and work it like an assembly line. Place a second sheet pan by the stove, too, so you have a clean place for the finished sandwiches to go while you make each one. These have to be made one at a time, but like I said, it goes fast.

How To Make A Monte Cristo That Isn’t Soggy

A 14-inch, non-stick skillet works best for this recipe, however a 12-inch will work, too; it just helps to have the extra breathing room in the pan when it comes time for flipping.

Heat the pan over medium-low heat and spray with cooking spray–you’ll only need to do this once or twice. The cooking spray seeps into the micro scratches and pits that occur from regular use of the pan, helping to keep the egg from sticking to the scratches.

How the bread is dipped in the egg mixture matters. It has to be quick or the bread, no matter what kind it is, will soak up too much liquid. Using one piece of bread at a time, quickly dip both sides of the bread into the egg mixture and place it into the hot pan. Repeat with a second piece of bread. Cook both pieces until the egg is set and begins to brown, which will take about 30 to 40 seconds. This will become the inside of the sandwich.

Flip both pieces of bread and then, working as fast as you can, build the sandwich on ONE of the pieces of bread (not both). To do this, add almost all of the (one quarter portion) of cheese to one of the slices of bread, reserving about a tablespoon. Add the ham on top of the cheese, and then add that reserved bit of cheese. Top that last bit of cheese with the second slice of bread (or, French toast, really) that is in your pan, making sure that the cooked side is face-down and touching the cheese – that little bit of cheese will “glue” the bread to the ham as it melts. 

Cook until the bottom bread is nicely browned underneath. Then flip the whole sandwich to continue cooking the outside of that second bread, which will only take about one minute more. 

Transfer the cooked sandwich to the clean sheet pan you set by the stove earlier, and repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

How To Serve A Monte Cristo Sandwich

Because both sides of the bread were dipped in egg and cooked like French toast, there wasn’t an opportunity to add mustard and mayonnaise. Both of these can be served on the side for dipping, along with honey mustard or the traditional strawberry or raspberry jam. And of course, a modest sprinkling of powdered sugar completes the sandwich.