Monte Cristo Sandwich

I had some Swiss left over from the quiche Lorraine and went in search of something interesting to do with it.  I haven't had a Monte Cristo in ages, mainly because they're hard to find in diners and I never think to make them at home.

A cousin of the croque monsieur, it's basically a ham and Swiss melt inside French toast.  You can use deli turkey if you're not a fan of ham.  Great for brunches, they only need a side salad to be a complete meal.  I opened the last jar of daikon and carrot pickles for the occasion.

Strawberry jam is a common condiment for these sandwiches, but I still haven't made this year's batch.  I used the last of the spiced plum jam, and it was an excellent combination.  What that told me was that the jam would make a nice sauce with a holiday ham, maybe mixed together with a brown mustard.

I'm not a fan of putting mayo on sandwiches, but it serves a real purpose here.  It insulates the bread so the egg custard doesn't soak all the way through.  You don't want egg mixed with the fillings because it won't get hot enough to cook to a safe temperature.  If you're like me and don't like mayo, just put on a thin coat, enough to seal the holes on the insides of the slices.

*8 slices white or wheat sandwich bread
*4 slices Swiss cheese
12 oz thinly sliced deli ham
*approx 1/4 C mayonnaise
*1 Tb-ish mustard of choice
*3 eggs
*1/4 C milk
2 Tb butter
powdered sugar and jam for serving

1.  Spread mayo on the insides of all 8 slices of bread.  Add a slice of cheese to 4 pieces of bread.  Top with a drizzle of mustard, then 3 oz of ham.  Top with an un-cheesed slice of bread.  Press down lightly to push all the ingredients together.  Cut off the crusts to "seal" the edges.

2.  In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and milk to make a thick custard.  Melt butter in a large skillet or pancake griddle over medium-low heat.  Dip the sandwiches in the egg custard to coat both sides and the edges.  You don't have to let it soak all the way in.

3.  Fry sandwiches on the griddle until underside is browned, 5-8 minutes.  You're going for a slow cook to make sure all of the egg is done.  Flip and cook the other side another 5 minutes.  Cut in half, plate, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve with strawberry jam on the side for dipping.

Difficulty rating  π