Sweet and salty, this is the perfect stuffed French toast (or Monte Cristo sandwich) when you want a twist on the traditional dish. Made with egg-based bread such as challah or brioche, it's soft, gooey, hearty and wonderful served with maple syrup.
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This is the French toast of your dreams. A brunch and breakfast sandwich for special occasions, or just because you don't feel like making pancakes again.
French toast with ham and cheese served hot and sizzling with a drizzle of maple syrup is several steps above the classic brunch favorite.
It can also be called a Monte Cristo sandwich or a Croque Monsieur. They all have their unique details but are essentially the same thing.
You can also see it as a monte carlo sandwich. I don't know if it's a typo because people confuse cristo with carlo when searching, or if this eggy cheese sandwich has many different names.
What is a Monte Cristo sandwich?
It's a sandwich consisting of ham and cheese sandwiched between two slices of bread, dipped in an egg batter (similar to French toast) and fried until golden brown.
In vintage cookbooks it can be referred to as a French sandwich or French ham sandwich.
The name is thought to have been inspired by the famous novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. Its origins are unclear, some say in America, and some say France due to the popularity of the croque monsieur sandwich.
Is Croque Monsieur the same as Monte Cristo?
The croque monsieur traditionally uses emmenthal or Gruyere cheese, and not Swiss cheese as the Monte Cristo sandwich.
The latter is sometimes deep-fried, depending on where you eat it. It can include turkey as well, and be served with jelly as a dipping sauce.
Ingredient list
- Bread: I recommend challah or brioche loaf. You can use regular sandwich bread slices, but the richness of the others creates a better sandwich.
- Egg: fresh.
- White granulated sugar.
- Ham: any type you regularly use works well. We use smoked ham, leftover glazed ham during the holidays, or natural deli ham.
- Cheese: my top picks are melty Swiss or mozzarella. Fontina and cheddar cheese work well for a sharper flavor.
See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities.
Variations & substitutions
- Bread: use a flavored or textured one, like whole wheat bread, or sweet pulla bread. Or go further and use a cinnamon bread.
- Turkey, chicken or bacon: add slices of chicken or turkey meat or crispy bacon in addition to the ham. Serve with a raspberry jam dipping sauce in the traditional Monte Cristo way.
- Cheese: experiment with other favorites you have, the ones you use for grilled cheese sandwich for example.
- Sweeter: add a tablespoon of sugar and/or some drops of vanilla extract to the egg mixture. Use sweetened cream cheese instead of the recommended ones. It won't be a croque monsieur or a monte cristo sandwich recipe, but it'll still be a stuffed French toast.
- Spicy: serve with a touch of your favorite spicy sauce like sriracha.
- Creamier: use whipping or heavy cream instead of milk. The egg custard will be richer and denser and so will the sandwich.
How to make French toast sandwich
A twist on a traditional French toast recipe, this fantastic sandwich is just as easy to make.
Assemble the ham and cheese sandwiches together.
Egg dipping mixture: mix lightly in a shallow medium bowl or baking dish large enough to hold a sandwich, or as many as fit your skillet at one time.
Dip on both sides but don't leave them to soak, as that will make them soggy. Dip them as you cook them, don't let them wait.
Cook on medium-low or low heat to allow the crust to form and the egg to cook. Use butter between sandwiches.
Sweeter sandwich
This sandwich is sweet and salty but not excessively so. A combination that we already love in the pizza rustica recipe (not a pizza as we know it, but a savory pie with a slightly sweet crust).
Some people eat their Monte Cristo sandwich with a sprinkling of sugar on top after it's cooked. And it works if you like more flavor contrast. You could also add a tablespoon of sugar to the egg mixture.
Serving it with maple syrup takes care of that.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Bread: we favor brioche or challah, but you can use sandwich bread. The latter will not have the contrast of a richer eggy bread. We don't use store-bought sliced white bread as it can be too soft and not have enough structure to hold the filling well. But that's personal preference.
- Filling: adjust the amount of slices of cheese and ham in each sandwich to your personal preference, increasing or decreasing them.
- Serving: drizzle with maple syrup, honey, or similar. You can add a side bowl of fresh fruit salad to add some freshness.
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Ham and Cheese French Toast (Monte Cristo Sandwich)
Ingredients
- 8 slices egg bread, such as challah or brioche, or a sweet one like pulla
- 8 thin slices of ham, I like smoked
- 4 thick slices of mozzarella or other melting cheese
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons milk
- Salt, to taste
- 2 tablespoon butter
- Maple syrup or powdered sugar, to serve
Instructions
- Put the bread slices on a cutting board and top half of them with 2 slices of ham and 1 slice of cheese.
- Top with the remaining slices of bread to make sandwiches and press down a bit.
- Lightly beat eggs with milk in a shallow dish or bowl that can accommodate at least one sandwich. Season with some salt.
- Place sandwiches in the egg mixture, about 30 seconds on each side, so they soak some of the egg and milk.
- Melt butter (½ tablespoon per sandwich you're cooking) in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
- Cook sandwiches on the hot skillet in a single layer, as many as fit your pan, over low or medium-low heat until golden and the cheese is beginning to melt.
- Repeat with the rest of the French toast slices.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
OH EM GEE!!! Paula, can I move in with you? I think I might die in the scorching heat but it would be worth it if I could eat your insanely delicious food. This sandwich is so decadent and gorgeous, all crispy on the outside but gooey on the inside with that melted cheese, and that perfect salty sweet combo. I'm drooling - it's 9am and I'm salivating all over my keyboard 😉
Medeja says
This would be perfect breakfast for cold winter morning 🙂 my mom used to make something similar when I was little.
Deb says
A most lovely recipe for an indulgent brunch! (Could this pass for a quick weeknight dinner? LOL ) Good bread should not be wasted and your recipe for ham and cheese stuffed French Toast is a most splendid idea! Wishing you a delicious holiday season!
Sara says
This looks fantastic...I LOVE sweet-and-savory combinations...this one looks so delicious!
Laura Dembowski says
All of that melty cheese has my mouth watering. Looks like a worthwhile indulgence for sure!
Talaia says
Very cool recipe. I like what you said about small portions and moderation lol. Definitely not easy to do during the holidays 🙂
Mica ♥ Imprimerie says
Mmm I don't know if could post my message, so here it goes again: Merrryyy Christmass!!!
Cocoa and Lavender says
Feliz y santa Navidad! Your French toast sounds amazing - a bit like a Croque Madame or Monsieur but much better because of your sweet bread! I am about to make French toast with panettone, a fairly recent Christmas tradition for us! Christmas hugs, David
mireia badia says
Merry Xmas Paula!!! Hope you have a wonderful day!!!
Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch says
Yum this looks amazing! I love the combination of flavors! Merry Christmas!
yummychunklet says
Now THAT is my kind of French toast! Merry Christmas!
cquek says
Look at all that amazing food and photos!
Camilla @Fabfood4all says
They look utterly gorgeous and a good way to use up Christmas ham and cheese:-)
Silvia says
Querida paula: estoy encanta de conocerte. Tu bocado saldo es perfecto para el brunch del 25.
Qué disfrutes de una santa Navidad junto al afecto de tus seres más queridos.
¡Felices Fiestas!
Angie's Recipes says
I can imagine this for my New Year brunch ;-)) It looks delicious and soul-satisfying!
Merry Christmas!
Laura Loves Cakes says
This is seriously making my mouth water and I would definitely have this for a Christmas breakfast if I thought I could fit it in with all the other Christmas day goodies...perhaps on New Years after a good NYE!!! 🙂