Disney Copycat Recipe: Monte Cristo Sandwich

If there is one item in all of Disneyland that someone should check off their bucket list of Disney foods, this is it. The perfect combination of sweet and savory, this is dessert for lunch and makes an amazing breakfast splurge. Just watch your waistline, it’s not something you’d want to eat every day and still fit into that retro Mickey t-shirt. >.~ So, allow me to invite you into my kitchen, and I’ll share with you how to recreate this amazing treat at home.

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Simple Ingredients

The shopping list for this recipe is straightforward and won’t require anything you won’t already have at home or be able to find easily in your local grocery store. I purchase my cold cuts at Costco (love the deli) and the black forest ham has the perfect flavor for this recipe.

Mix Dry and Liquid Ingredients Before Combining

Make sure you sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl to get a nice even distribution. In the same manner, combine the egg and milk. Doing these separate before you combine helps you get that creamy, non-clump batter that makes the perfect sandwich for frying.

Combine Dry and Liquid Mixtures for Creamy Sweet Batter

Add and stir in gradually the egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until there are no lumps. The batter will have a fairly runny consistency, yet thick enough that it will coat the sandwich. If the batter seems too thick or sticky, add in a little extra milk to soften it out.

Prep the Sandwich Cuts

I purchased my ham and turkey pre-sliced from the deli but had to slice the Swiss before I could assemble the sandwiches. If you slice your own, make sure to get a nice even cut so your sandwich stays in that nice square shape. You also want your cheese to melt evenly in the fryer, so don’t make your slices too thick that you’d have to burn your sandwich to get it to melt. Remember, you have to let your sandwich set after frying and the inside heat will continue to melt the cheese if you have nice even slices.

Prep Area & Heat Frying Pan

Before you start assembling the sandwiches, I recommend you begin heating up your oil (340 degrees Fahrenheit unless you are using a thicker bread, then you could go as high as 360) setting up your frying area with a plate lined with paper towels so that as sandwiches finish frying you have space and tools prepared to remove from the pan and drain the excess oil.

Assembling the Perfect Monte Cristo Sandwich

It’s important to follow the exact pattern of bread, cheese, meat, cheese, and bread. This ensures that your cheese is closest to the heat and will get that nice gooey, melted cheese filling.

Battering the Sandwiches

A couple of pro tips that will save you a huge mess – 1) use a pie pan for the batter so you have plenty of space to work the sandwich around in, and 2) rubber gloves to keep your pretty hands from the stickiness of the batter. Trust me, clean up will be much simpler by following these tips. When you coat the sandwich, make sure you’ve got a nice full coat along all sides and drop in the fryer almost immediately. If you are concerned about the sandwiches staying together, place a toothpick on each corner to hold it together while frying.

Fry the Perfect Monte Cristo Sandwich

There’s really no “perfect” time to put on this recipe, so I advise that you fry until you’ve reached your preference of golden. Cook them one side, batter, and then the other as well as individually in the pan. I’ve made this recipe multiple times now doing this different with no issues, but I’m also cooking on gas with a very broad pan. For the first time making this, I recommend following their exact specifications, and then once you are comfortable with the recipe, add your own shortcuts.

Remove Sandwiches from Oil & Prepare Dipping Sauce

Make sure you drain the excess oil and let cool before serving these sandwiches. If you are concerned about the cheese or wait time between sandwiches for a large group, place on a cookie sheet and place it on low heat in your oven. This will keep the cheese melted and the sandwiches ready-to-serve temperature. For the dipping sauce, I prefer a nice raspberry but you could use blackberry instead.

Ready to Serve

To serve, slice your sandwiches in half (expose all that beautiful melted Swiss cheese), sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with dipping sauce. A side of fresh fruit and you’ve got an entire meal – Disneyland style!

Monte Cristo Sandwich

0 from 0 votes

Servings

servings

Prep Time

minutes

Cook Time

minutes

Calories

1,122

kcal

Ingredients

1 cup 1 Flour
2 tsp 2 Baking Powder
1 ea 1 Large Egg
3/4 cup 3/4 Milk
1/4 tsp 1/4 Salt
2 tbsp 2 Sugar
8 slices 8 Swiss Cheese
8 slices 8 Turkey
8 slicees 8 Ham
8 Slices 8 Egg Bread, Sliced 1/2-Inch Thick
2 tsp 2 Powdered Sugar (Sprinkle on Top)
1/2 cup 1/2 Raspberry or Blackberry Jam (Dipping)

Directions

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the milk and egg thoroughly.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until there are no lumps. The batter should be fairly runny, yet still thick enough to stick to the sandwich. If needed, add more milk until desired consistency.
Make the sandwiches by layering a slice of swiss cheese, then the 4 meat slices, then swiss cheese, top with the remaining slice of bread. You must follow the correct order of bread, cheese, meat, cheese and bread.
Leave the sandwiches whole for frying, as you lose the cheesy goodness inside otherwise.
Place a toothpick on each corner of the sandwich.
Dip the whole sandwich in the batter, covering the surface completely and fry in 340 degrees F oil until golden. Thicker toast will take longer to heat up the inside, thus the lower frying temperature. If you are using normal bread, you can go up to around 360 degrees F for frying.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
Remove the toothpicks and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
Slice in half and serve with jam

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