lawyerchef: The Monte Cristo

Who doesn't love a Monte Cristo? I think this is a quick hot meal with relatively easy clean-up that is super yummy and kid friendly. You can serve 4 people sandwiches and fries for under $15. Now, If you are lucky enough to live somewhere that has a Bennigan's, just skip this because I can't top theirs. Bennigan's has the mother of Monte Cristos. If you haven't had one from Bennigan's you should make a point to try one.

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Ingredients :
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup of flour
Dash of cinnamon
8 slices of 1/2 inch thick white bread (I use Italian or Texas toast.)
8 slices of Swiss cheese
4 slices of American or Cheddar Cheese (This is is an optional bonus for Cheese Lovers like me.)
6-8 ounce of ham, turkey or both
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
Powdered sugar
Strawberry Jam or Preserves - I know it sounds crazy but it is good!
(I serve mine with shoe string french fries.)

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Now this is an easy recipe and there are only 2 ways that you can screw it up. Since I have had more kitchen failures than successes, lets address these first.

* Putting too much cinnamon in the batter.
* Cooking it too fast which will not only burn it, but make the bread soggy and nobody is going to want to eat that. Trust me.

1. Mix eggs, flour, milk and dash of cinnamon in bowl until it is smooth.

2. Turn on your griddle to 325-350 degrees. If you don't have griddle, use a large skillet on med-high heat.

3. Make your sandwiches. I layer bread-swiss-ham-cheddar-turkey-swiss-bread. The melted cheese will hold it all together.

4. Dip sandwiches in batter and coat both sides well.

5. Cover griddle or skillet with a thin layer of butter. Slap on the sandwiches. *Remember not to cook them too fast. *

6. Cook sandwiches until they are a nice golden brown and flip. You can put a little butter down again for the second side if you want.

7. Remove from pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with strawberry jam or preserves.