Community Pick
Bennigans Monte Cristo Sandwich
"Bennigan's makes the most awesome Monte Cristo sandwiches. A great break from the usual toasted ham & cheese."
photo by LenScapon
- Ready In:
- 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Yields:
-
3 sandwiches
- Serves:
- 3
ingredients
- 9 slices whole wheat bread
- 3 slices cooked turkey
- 3 slices cooked ham
- 3 slices American cheese
- 3 slices swiss cheese
-
Batter
- 1 egg
- 1 - 1 1⁄4 cup water
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- vegetable oil (for deep frying)
directions
- Place turkey and Swiss cheese on one slice of bread and ham and American cheese on another slice of bread.
- Place third slice.
- in-between and secure the triple-decker sandwich in the corners with tooth picks.
- Place egg in mixing bowl, add water and beat together.
- Add salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder.
- Beat batter until smooth.
- Dip sandwich in batter and carefully cover all the sides and surface.
- Carefully place in hot oil and fry until golden.
- When sandwich has turned a warm gold color remove from hot oil and place on paper towel.
- Let cool for a few minutes before removing the tooth picks.
- Before serving slice into fourths and sprinkle.
- with powder sugar.
- Serve with Raspberry jam.
Questions & Replies
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My favorite sandwich, after they closed I went to IHOP. I asked the main chef if he could make it. Pancake batter is about the same. I've now made hundreds of them, toothpicks are a must. Don't be afraid, after 10 I can make a great MC with raspberry. Thank you Bennigan's. -
What temp should oil be -
Has anyone tried this sandwich in an oil less fryer? -
what would be the cook time and temp in an air fryer
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Can you fry it in a deep fryer?
Reviews
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Boy were these babies good! I really liked making this recipe, and it didn't take very long. We had a nice lunch of these sandwiches and fruit salad. All of the flavors together were so good. Thanks for sharing this keeper!! -
Since our local Bennigans recently locked its doors, I was lamenting that I may never enjoy a proper Monte Cristo sandwich until I found this recipe. I just made 3 sandwiches today for my family and they were fabulous. I followed some advice found on another site and prepped the sandwiches last night, wrapped them tighly in plastic wrap (uncut) and stored them in refridge overnight. They stayed together well during cooking without needing toothpicks. The ingredients I used were: Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Honey Ham Jewel Brand Swiss Singles Jewel Brand American Singles Jewel Brand Wheat Bread Smucker's Red Raspberry Preserves I've posted a photo of my success with this tasty recipe: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30507067@N07/2856368581/ -
Oh. My. God. FABULOUS BATTER. Aside from sandwiches, you can also dip OREOS and Ferrero Rocher chocolates and whatever else you have laying around that needs to be batter dipped and fried...seriously, I couldn't help myself! LOL Thanks! When my son finds out about batter fried cheese sandwiches, he will never be the same. I am thanking you in advance for adding an extra couple of pounds to my skinny guy!!!! (he's 4 ;)
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I added a little more water to the batter mix because it was a bit thick. Also spicy mustard and mayo to the sandwich before toothpicking and battering. It was delicious and very filling.
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So, a trick from someone who used to work there. Make the sandwiches the night before and squish them flattish. Then dip and fry the night to eat. <3 it's how the restaurant did it.
see 47 more reviews
Tweaks
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I made thousands of these at Bennigans. the bread we used was honey-wheat and not regular wheat. also, after you put the sandwich itself together, wrap it in plastic wrap while pressing out the air making it a bit more compact. let it set in the fridge for awhile so it “learns” that shape and then it’s less likely to fall apart when cooking. i don’t think we had to even use toothpicks at that point. also will allow less oil to seep into the bread.
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So, I have never made these before but used to eat them quite a bit in college. I stumbled upon this recipe and since my husband had never had it I figured I'd give it a try. I tweaked a couple of things. 1) I added 2 extra slices of ham and 2 extra slices of turkey. I also added 1 extra slice of swiss and american cheese. 2) I used honey-wheat because it's what I had. I prefer it to whole wheat bread. 3) I didn't use toothpicks because I didn't have any so I went with the tried and true bakers method: Wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer. I froze the sandwiches for 30 minutes and took them out one at a time to dip and fry. No toothpicks necessary and they stuck together without a problem. -
I added a little more water to the batter mix because it was a bit thick. Also spicy mustard and mayo to the sandwich before toothpicking and battering. It was delicious and very filling. I paired it with a strawberry rhubarb jam as well!
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Not necessarily a "tweak" but some things you can do different. I used oven roasted chicken instead of turkey (deli didn't have a good turkey when I went) and a Honey Ham. I also used a Baby swiss on the chicken side of the sandwich and Muenster on the ham side...sooo gooey! I also used a French brioche bread and cut off the crusts. Lastly, after building the sandwich, I pressed lightly, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 1/2 an hour. Did NOT require toothpicks when dipping and frying. Enjoy! -
I actually found the batter to be too thin and the resulting breading just didn't have the right texture compared to how I remember the Bennigan's Monte Cristo.<br/><br/>To remedy this I doubled the dry ingredients, then separated them into 2 different bowls. In one of the bowls I added milk instead of water, but only enough till I got a thicker, more pancake-like batter. Then when it came time to batter the sandiwches (held together with a couple of toothpicks) I dipped them in the wet batter first, then let the excess drip off for a few seconds and tossed them in the dry mix, then quickly into the fryer.<br/><br/>This method gave me a little crunch to the breading rather than the more french toast like covering.
see 5 more tweaks
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
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