Monte Cristo Sandwich
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A Monte Cristo sandwich is an
egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...
-dipped (or batter-dipped) ham and cheese sandwich that is pan or deep fried. It is a variation of the French '' croque monsieur''.


History

The first documented reference to a "Monte Cristo Sandwich" was in an American restaurant industry publication in 1923. From the 1930s to the 1960s, American cookbooks commonly had recipes for similar croque monsieur variants, under such names as "French sandwich", "toasted ham sandwich", and "French toasted cheese sandwich". Though it is commonly claimed that the Monte Cristo sandwich was developed in the 1960s in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
, mentions of the sandwich by name in earlier decades and similar recipes appearing in cookbooks cast doubt on this claim. Nevertheless, the sandwich developed a larger popularity in the region, and it rose in popularity nationally after the
Blue Bayou Restaurant Blue Bayou is a full-service chain of New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state o ...
in
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
began to serve the sandwich. The sandwich is celebrated on Monte Cristo Day (September 17th) and is associated with the Bennigan's restaurant chain.


Description

Depending on the regional variation, the sandwich can either be savory or a mixture of savory and sweet. In its most basic form, it is dipped in beaten
egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...
and pan-fried, though it may also be deep-fried in beer or pancake batter. Regional variations may include sliced
turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
or caramelized onions. Some variants are served grilled; in other variations, the Monte Cristo is served as an
open sandwich An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a single slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a ty ...
, with only the bread egg-dipped and pan fried. In such cases, the fully assembled sandwich is then usually heated slightly under a grill or broiler. In sweeter variations, the Monte Cristo is often covered in powdered sugar and served with
maple syrup Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...
or preserves.


See also

* Cheese dream * Croque monsieur *
French toast French toast is a Dish (food), dish of sliced bread soaked in beaten eggs as food, eggs and often milk or cream, then pan-fried. Alternative names and variants include eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, and poor knights (of Windsor).''Oxfo ...
*
Grilled cheese A grilled cheese, toasted sandwich, cheese toastie ( UK) or jaffle ( AU) is a hot cheese sandwich typically prepared by heating slices of cheese between slices of bread with a cooking fat such as butter or mayonnaise on a frying pan, griddle, ...
*
List of sandwiches Sandwiches are a common type of lunch food often eaten as part of a packed lunch. There are many types of sandwiches, made from a diverse variety of ingredients. The sandwich is the namesake of John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, a British statesman ...
* Welsh rabbit


References


External links


Count the Monte Cristos
at The Stranger {{DEFAULTSORT:Monte Cristo Sandwich American sandwiches Cheese sandwiches Ham sandwiches Deep fried foods Californian cuisine