Monte Cristo sandwiches - a deluxe version of the sometimes mundane toasted ham & cheese. A French cafe menu item known as the Croque Monsieur, consists of grilled Gruyere cheese and lean cooked ham on open-faced white bread that has been fried in clarified butter seems to be the earliest relative of the Monte Cristo. The most popular first mention of such a sandwich in the U.S. was the Monte Cristo in 1966. The Monte Cristo appeared as a French-inspired sandwich on the menu of the Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans’s Square at Disneyland. Here, tourists and southern California natives began its notoriety and popularity that quickly spread across the U.S. to other famous restaurants such as the Brown Derby and Tavern on the Green.

Monte Cristo sandwiches today are constructed of hearty contents so that they will survive deep-frying with flavor integrity still intact. To build, begin with a whole wheat or whole grain bread of your choice. The traditional meats added are sliced cooked turkey and ham. Then, slices of Swiss cheese and American cheese. A garlic aioli (mayonnaise) or a hearty, brown grained mustard is an excellent accompaniment.

Once the sandwiches are constructed, you will need to mix batter and heat the oil. Lean towards peanut oil or canola oil and heat to 375 degrees. Don’t allow the oil to heat any closer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Most oils will burn at 400 degrees and most foods will be destroyed by oils at this high heat. It is very important to manage the timing of this meal very well. The oil should be heated and ready for use as soon as your sandwiches are constructed.

You want this “fry” to be hot and fast. Also, be certain to have a metal rack to rest the fried sandwiches on rather than paper towels or paper sacks. You do NOT want the star of the show to be any remaining oil! Also use a fryer basket in your oil to eliminate as much wasted batter and any sandwich “pieces”.

Combine one and one-half cups of flour with one tablespoon of baking powder, a half teaspoon of salt and one full teaspoon of sugar. Mix these dry ingredients well. Beat one large egg with a quarter cup of water and add into the dry mix. Blend gently until of a batter consistency.

Set your made sandwich into the batter, one side down then lift, allow excess to fall away and turn to dip other side. Roll edges in batter to cover all sides of the sandwich. Have the hot oil ready and lift sandwich (with tongs or two fingers) - allowing major excess to fall away. Quickly set battered sandwich into the fry basket and then into hot oil. Fry for three to four minutes: approximately 1 1/2 minutes for each sandwich side or until golden brown. Set on cake rack or other metal rack to cool.

Serve with a (generous) dusting of confectioner’s sugar and a side of your favorite berry jam/s. Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry are all excellent accompaniments to this sandwich delight. Some restaurants do skip the entire frying step and simply "fry" the sandwich on a hot, buttered surface (skillet or grill top). This does eliminate some of the calories and, of course, the battered mixture. However, these are not truly representative of the original intention. For five minutes of preparation and ten minutes of assembly and cooking, you will gain a comforting sandwich especially suited for cold, wintry months. Enjoy!