Monte Cristo Recipe
Shaved ham, smoked gouda, blackberry cream and smoked bacon slices served on French toast with powdered sugar. Served with Table hash*
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Ingredients
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Sandwich
French toast batter and frying
Blackberry cream (spread)
To serve
Method
Blackberry cream (spread)
Make blackberry cream
In a small bowl, combine 2 oz softened cream cheese with 4 tbsp blackberry preserves, 1/2 tsp lemon zest and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Whisk until smooth and slightly fluffy. Taste and adjust sweetness or lemon if desired. Refrigerate until assembly.
French toast batter and frying
Prepare batter
In a wide, shallow bowl or baking dish, whisk together 4 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon until fully combined and smooth.
Soak bread
Lay 8 slices of bread in a single layer (work in batches if necessary). Pour or ladle batter over bread so each slice soaks about 20–30 seconds per side (press gently to help absorption). Allow excess to drip back into the bowl.
Pan-fry French toast
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add 1–2 tbsp unsalted butter plus 1 tsp neutral oil (optional) to raise smoke point. When butter is foaming and pan is hot but not smoking, add soaked bread slices (do not overcrowd). Cook 2–3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Keep cooked slices warm on a sheet pan in a low oven (about 200°F/95°C) if making multiple sandwiches.
Sandwich assembly
Arrange fillings
Warm the shaved ham briefly in a pan or microwave (15–20 seconds) just to take chill off — this helps melting without overcooking. If bacon is not yet crisp, cook 8 slices until crisp and drain on paper towels. Slice smoked gouda if not pre-sliced.
Build sandwiches
On 4 of the warm French toast slices, spread about 1 tbsp of the blackberry cream (from earlier) evenly. Top each with approximately 3 oz shaved ham, 2 oz smoked gouda (one or two slices), and 2 slices of cooked smoked bacon. Spread approximately 1 tbsp blackberry jam on the remaining 4 French toast slices and close sandwiches, jam side down, pressing gently so cheese and ham nestle and cheese begins to warm and soften from the toast.
Finish and rest
Return assembled sandwiches to the warm pan for 30–60 seconds per side on very low heat (optional) to encourage cheese melting, pressing slightly with a spatula. Remove and let rest 1 minute so fillings stabilize.