Everyone in my family absolutely loves grilled cheese. I love making grilled cheese. We eat it a lot in the winter with a bowl of soup and in the summer we eat it with fresh veggies. I love something quick that doesn't heat up the kitchen too much - and if everybody eats it (and loves it) that is a big bonus.
But the other day, I was feeling like fancying up the grilled cheese routine a little bit.
Have you heard of a Monte Cristo sandwich? Well it has its very own Wikipedia page. An American version of a very famous French sandwich the Croque-monsieur.
What the What!? Look at us getting all fancy up in here with our grilled cheese.
This is a sandwich deluxe, this is not everyday fare (unless you want to weight 500 pounds and die of cheese clogged arteries), but it is fun every so often and while still being mostly a plain ol' ham and cheese sandwich, inspires a little bit of fun.
So what is all the fuss about.. Here goes....
INGREDIENTS: (This makes 1 Sandwich)
2 slices bread - just like french toast - the best bread to use is slightly stale
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 slices cooked ham
2 slices cooked turkey meat
1 slice Swiss cheese - We used a mix of Gruyere and Cheddar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
DIRECTIONS:
1. Spread bread with mayonnaise and mustard. Alternate ham, Swiss and turkey slices on bread.
2. Beat egg and milk in a small bowl. Coat the sandwich with the egg and milk mixture.
Heat a greased skillet over medium heat, brown the sandwich on both sides. Serve hot.
And there you go! My kids that usually eat 4-5 pieces of French toast or 2 grilled cheese were satisfied with one sandwich. The little ones I only fed 1/2 of sandwich (but cut the half into halves so the would feel like they were the same as everyone else)
Although it seems very decadent - it has mostly wholesome ingredients, bread, lean meats, cheese, and eggs, if you use the mayonnaise sparingly and go easy on the syrup and jam / sugary toppings, you can enjoy this world famous sandwich without any world famous guilt.
