Sunday, May 28, 2006
Growing up, my favorite kind of toast was "jam under cheese." I love the taste of warm homemade strawberry jam mixing with gooey melted cheese, hidden under a crisped bubble of toasted cheese. The edges of the toast get crisp, but the bread under the cheese & jam is moist - almost like fresh bread. I later learned the combination of cheese and jam had been taught to us by my Dad, and Mom had actually never tried it, nor did she think that it sounded very appetizing. But she would make it for us on request, and she tolerated us making it all those years.
A few years back, a friend told me about the Monte Cristo sandwich from the Blue Bayou at Disneyland. I admit that my reaction was more like my mother's to jam under cheese: "Ham? Turkey? Cheese? Deep fried? with JAM? AND powdered sugar?!?" I had thoughts of Elvis-like decadence complete with bowls of bacon to snack on like popcorn. I have been to both Disneyland and Disneyworld since then, but I still haven't tasted Disney's Monte Cristo.
I had never eaten at Bennigan's until 4 years ago when I came to work in Connecticut, and I discovered the Monte Cristo for myself. I then introduced it to Shana when she and the kids came out. It became a regular favorite of ours - although not too often due to the potential for deleterious health effects from deep frying.
We took my parents to Bennigan's about a year ago, and I made Dad order a Monte Cristo Sandwich. He protested the presence of processed American cheese on the sandwich, requesting instead real cheddar cheese. Due to the fact that they make the sandwiches and dip them a day in advance, they were unable to customize his sandwich (That was their claim, maybe they may just crack them out of the freezer when you order).
Dad - this is for you. You can customize this one with cheddar, pepper jack, gorgonzola, limberger, Amish special horseradish - whatever you fancy. Our preference is homemade raspberry jam with Swiss and American cheeses (although I may need to try gorgonzola sometime ...) This is supposed to be the "real deal" Disney recipe, from a passholders' newsletter.
 Monte Cristo Sandwich
Batter
1 1/2 Cups - All-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 Teaspoon - Salt
1 Tablespoon - Baking powder
1 1/3 cups - Water
1 - Egg
Sandwich
1 Ounce - Sliced white meat of turkey
1 Ounce - Sliced Swiss cheese
1 Ounce - Sliced ham
2 Slices - Egg Bread
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Add water to beaten egg, then add to flour mixture and mix well. Set aside.
Make a sandwich using turkey first, then Swiss cheese, and then ham. Cut sandwich into quarters using toothpicks to hold sandwich together. Dip sandwich in batter and fry in 360 degrees canola oil until golden brown. Remove toothpicks and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with raspberry jelly presented as a dipping sauce.
posted by Mark # 11:33 AM 
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