Can we improve on a Monte Cristo sandwich? This Monte Cristo sandwich recipe is perfect for Sunday brunch. Filled with ham, turkey and cheese with a sweet and salty filling, it is far from just a plain grilled ham and cheese sandwich. What sets it apart? The French toast waffle, of course.
If I see a Monte Cristo on a restaurant menu, I will usually order it for brunch. I’ll pass over the burgers, steak & eggs and Rubens and favor this sandwich because you don’t see it that often, and it is a great sandwich, when done properly.
How Do You Make A Monte Cristo Sandwich
To make a Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwich, you will need honey ham, turkey breast, Muenster cheese, waffles and raspberry preserves. For the sandwich sauce you’ll need Dijon mustard and mayonnaise with a pinch of salt and pepper.
For the Waffle Monte Cristo you will need, Bisquick waffle mix, eggs, milk, cinnamon, sugar and butter.
Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwich Ingredients
Bread
We are breaking the Monte Cristo rules here with French toast flavored waffles in place of bread slices. Does a Monte Cristo even have rules? Ok, if you’re making a traditional Monte Cristo, then use thick cut white sandwich bread. White sandwich sliced bread soaks up the French toast batter very nicely and the thick cut slice will hold up better under all the ham, turkey and cheese.
Cheese
I prefer the creaminess of Muenster on this waffle sandwich recipe. I also like the way the Munster melts into the nooks and crags of the crispy waffle ridges. The traditional Monte Cristo sandwich recipe would have sliced Swiss cheese. Swiss provides an extra tangy sharpness to the sandwich that works nicely with the sweet jam. However, use whatever cheese you like. Mozzarella would be a fine choice and perhaps even sharp Cheddar.
Ham
Stop at the deli counter and ask for thinly sliced honey ham. This is a sweet brunch sandwich and the salty honey ham quietly supports the whole waffle sandwich without too much smoke. If you want to go with a savory flavor, then a good choice would be Black Forest ham that has a deep smokey penetrating flavor.
I like to get the ham very thinly sliced so that I can pile the Monte Cristo sandwich with deli ham layers that are easy to bite through.
Turkey
The Sunday after Thanksgiving these Monte Cristo sandwiches are going on the menu. Carved Turkey breast could not find a better home. However, carved turkey breast from the deli counter will do as well. For our waffle Monte Cristo, I’m going to go with an oven roasted turkey breast instead of smoked turkey. I really want the flavor of the turkey breast to shine rather than masking it with smoke and salty brine.
Raspberry Preserves
First, make the sandwich sauce by combining Dijon mustard (¼ cup) with mayonnaise (¼ cup) and add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Now, make the waffles. Stir together Bisquick (2 cups), milk (1& 1/2 cups), melted butter (2 tbsp) and egg (1 large).
Pour the waffle mix into the center of a preheated, greased waffle iron and close the lid.
Bake the waffles about 4-5 minutes. Remove the waffles and assembled the sandwich.
Preheat the oven to 350 degree while you assemble the sandwich
Assemble the Monte Cristo sandwich by first spreading the bottom waffle with the Dijon sandwich sauce (1 tbsp). Then layer on thinly sliced ham (2 ounces). Top the ham with shredded Munster cheese (1 slice) and raspberry preserves (1 tbsp) and close the first layer.
Now, spread the next layer with more sandwich sauce and the thinly sliced turkey breast (2 ounces). Cover the sliced turkey breast with more shredded muenster cheese.
Spread the inside of the final waffle with raspberry preserves (1 tbsp) and close the sandwich.
Place the Monte Cristo waffle sandwich on a sheet pan or wire rack and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
How To Serve The Monte Cristo
Maple Butter Sauce
Drizzling maple butter sauce over the Monte Cristo will take this sandwich to the next Sunday brunch level!. Combine maple syrup(¼ cup) with butter (4 tbsp) and heat in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, remove from the heat and stir in heavy cream (1 tbsp)
Glazed Vanilla Icing
This icing reminds me of a glaze on a Crispy Creme Donut. You’ll need only 3 ingredients to pull this off. Heavy cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla. Combine confectioners sugar (1 cup) with heavy cream (2-3 tbsp) and vanilla extract (1 tsp). Whisk them together and add a little more cream if needed to thin out.
Fresh Berries
I’m using some fresh raspberries to garnish the top of the sandwich, but other berries like blackberries or strawberries will add a real splash of excitement to the finished waffle sandwich. Go all out with a sprig of fresh mint for more color!
Watch How We Made The Monte Cristo
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
Ingredients
For The Waffles
- 2 cups Waffle mix
- 12 ounces Milk whole
- 2 tbsp Butter melted
- 1 large Egg
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
For the Sandwich
- 8 ounces Ham
- 8 ounces Turkey breast
- 8 ounces Muenster cheese
- 8 ounces Raspberry preserves
For The Sandwich Sauce
- 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
Instructions
- First, make the sandwich sauce by combining Dijon mustard (¼ cup) with mayonnaise (¼ cup) and add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Now, make the waffles. Stir together Bisquick (2 cups), milk (1& 1/2 cups), melted butter (2 tbsp) and egg (1 large). Pour the waffle mix into the center of a preheated, greased waffle iron and close the lid. Bake the waffles about 4-5 minutes. Remove the waffles and assembled the sandwich.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degree while you assemble the sandwich.
- Assemble the Monte Cristo sandwich by first spreading the bottom waffle with the Dijon sandwich sauce (1 tbsp). Then layer on thinly sliced ham (2 ounces). Top the ham with shredded Munster cheese (1 slice) and raspberry preserves (1 tbsp) and close the first layer.
- Now, spread the next layer with more sandwich sauce and the thinly sliced turkey breast (2 ounces). Cover the sliced turkey breast with more shredded muenster cheese. Spread the inside of the final waffle with raspberry preserves (1 tbsp) and close the sandwich.
- Place the Monte Cristo waffle sandwich on a sheet pan or wire rack and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Notes
Nutrition
This Throwdown Kitchen version of a classic Monte Cristo recipe blew everybody’s minds. If there was a way to make the classic Monte Cristo sandwich better, I think this was it. The most delicious Monte Cristo sandwich ever. The savory turkey and salty ham combined with the sweet jam and the nutty cheese worked perfectly. The big difference was the crispness of the waffle sandwich compared to a creamy soft French toast Monte Cristo. From now on, I’ll take crispy any day.
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