The Best Monte Cristo Sandwich EVER!

Cravings sometimes strike when you least expect it.  

The other day, while doing my grocery shopping at my local Trader Joe's Market, I was suddenly hit with an intense craving for a sandwich I hadn't had since I was a teenager.  

It was 1970something and Disney World had only recently opened.  My dad had taken the entire family there on vacation.  We stayed at the Polynesian Resort where I had a Monte' Cristo sandwich at their restaurant.  To this day I can recall how delicious it was, how positively sophisticated to a Midwestern girl raised in a town where Uncle John's Pancake House ruled supreme.

And there I was in the middle of Trader Joe's and I had to have one!

I bought the necessary ingredients - ham, turkey, swiss, eggs - and a loaf of Challah, which I figured it would be good with since Challah makes the best French toast ever.  

I got home, unpacked and checked my favorite sites online to seek out recipes.  Epicurious.  Cooks.com.  A simple google search on Monte Cristo ...

Some Monte Cristos were baked, some pan fried and some deep fried.  Some used a simple French toast/egg batter, others used an all out batter with flour and eggs.  Some had just turkey, some had just ham.  

I picked the best of a number of recipes and made my own.  It was sublime.

Presenting here, the best Monte' Cristo sandwich EVER:

• 2 thick slices of challah per sandwich
  
• 1 slice ham/per
  
• 1 slice turkey/per
  
• 1 slice swiss (I like Jarlsberg)
  
• Trader Joe's Garlic Aioli Mustard Sauce
  
• Butter
  
• 2-3 eggs
  
• 1-2 tablespoons of half and half
  
• 1-2 tablespoons of flour
  

Butter the outside of each slice of bread.  Butter the inside of one slice and slather on the Garlic Aioli Mustard to taste.  Layer the ham, turkey and cheese and top with the other slice of bread. Make a nice batter by beating the eggs, half and half and flour together.  Dredge your completed sandwich thoroughly. In saucepan, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil, add 1-2 tablespoons butter.  Fry over medium to medium high heat until golden on both sides.  Finish off in a 375 oven for 5-10 minutes to thoroughly heat through.  Serve with a side of maple syrup for dipping ... inhale!