The best Monte Cristo ever, now playing in your own kitchen.
If you’ve never had one, the Disney Monte Cristo sandwich seems kind of weird. It’s like a cross between a club sandwich and French toast: ham and cheese on white bread, dipped in eggy batter and fried, then served up with a dusting of powdered sugar. It doesn’t know whether it wants to be savory or sweet. Why would you want to eat that?
Of course, if you have had one, then you know the answer – because it’s wonderful. Golden fried bread, salty ham and oozy melted cheese, sweet sugar and jam or syrup, all blending together in a fabulous fusion. Who wouldn’t want to eat that?
The very best Monte Cristo I’ve ever had was at a Disney theme park. They make it there with turkey as well as ham and cheese, for an incredibly thick, meaty sandwich that you can really sink your teeth into. It’s fried to a golden-brown perfection and generously powdered with sugar, and accompanied by a luscious blackberry jam.
Since going to Disney every time I want this fabulous sandwich isn’t really an option, I decided to make my own copycat version at home. Try it for yourself, and you’ll see how wonderful this weird sandwich can be.
How to make Copycat Disney Monte Cristo Sandwiches
- To make the batter, mix water, egg, salt & pepper in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in flour and baking powder. Chill (I chilled if for about 30 minutes).
- To make sandwiches, layer bread with 3 layers of ham, turkey and cheese. Cut each of the 3 sandwiches in half diagonally.
- Pour ½-1 inch of oil into the bottom of your pan, heat on medium (test temp by dropping a small drop of batter into the oil until it sizzles).
- Dip each sandwich half into the batter. Place two sandwich triangles into the oil. (more if pan allows).
- Flip each triangle when they begin to turn golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. (Optional: place on a cookie sheet to keep warm in the oven).
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with a side of blackberry jam.
This really is a weird sandwich. Where did it come from?
- Apparently it’s a variant of a French sandwich called a croque monsieur. This has ham and cheese served on a brioche bread and baked or fried, with more cheese melted on top.
- There’s also a version called a croque madame that has a poached or fried egg on top. Then someone (probably in 1950s California, though no one is sure) got the bright idea to soak the bread in the egg before frying it, and the Monte Cristo was born.
- It first appeared at Disneyland in 1966, and there it reached the perfection we know today.
The sandwich in the picture looks like it’s made with sliced deli ham and turkey, but could you also use leftover ham or turkey?
- Absolutely! If you can’t get it sliced quite as thin as the deli does it, make just two slightly thicker layers of meat and cheese instead of three thin ones.
- This would be a great way to use up the leftovers from your Easter ham or Thanksgiving turkey – or, if you serve both ham and turkey at Christmas dinner, both at once.
Could I make this for breakfast?
- Why not? Ham and eggs are breakfast food, and so is French toast. And cheese can be part of an omelet. The only part that’s a little unusual for the breakfast table is the turkey, but who cares?
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Copycat Disney Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Ingredients
Batter:
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ⅓ cups flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
Sandwiches:
- 6 slices of white bread
- 9 slices of turkey
- 9 slices of ham
- 9 slices of swiss cheese
- Vegetable oil for frying enough for 1 inch of oil in the bottom of the pan
Garnish:
- Powdered sugar
- Blackberry jam
Instructions
- To make the batter, mix water, egg, salt & pepper in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in flour and baking powder. Chill (I chilled if for about 30 minutes).
- To make sandwiches, layer bread with 3 layers of ham, turkey and cheese
- Cut each of the 3 sandwiches in half diagonally.
- Pour ½-1 inch of oil into the bottom of your pan, heat on medium (test temp by dropping a small drop of batter into the oil until it sizzles)
- Dip each sandwich half into the batter.
- Place two sandwich triangles into the oil. (more if pan allows)
- Flip each triangle when they begin to turn golden brown.
- Drain on a paper towel. (Optional: place on a cookie sheet to keep warm in the oven)
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with a side of blackberry jam.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Shari Short says
why does it call for flour and baking powder but not used in the recipe?
Corey says
Sorry that got cut off in the post, It’s added back in, and is also in the recipe card. The flour and baking powder get whisked into the batter. (step 1 before chilling)