3 Cheese Monte Cristo

As a result of my Disney blog posts, David and I daydreamed and reminisced about our favorite parts of our time together at Disneyland. One of them was discovering the 3 Cheese Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. You see, David and I ate at Blue Bayou the last two times we had been to Disneyland, and we both ordered the original Monte Cristo (made with swiss cheese and ham). David and I at Blue Bayou in September 2008:
Being vegetarian, we were depressed at the thought of missing out on such a yummy tradition over a piece of ham. While we were perusing various menus looking for something to equally satisfy, we stopped at Cafe Orleans and discovered that not only did they carry the original Monte Cristo (for $10 less than Blue Bayou, no less!), but they also carried a vegetarian friendly 3 Cheese Monte Cristo! We jubilantly put our name in for a table and waited as patiently as we could. For pictures and details of our meal, go to our family blog and scroll down.

When we returned home to Louisiana after our trip to Disneyland in 2008, we made the traditional version (with ham) based on the recipe here, which is what I have saved in my recipe binder, and was the foundation for our recipe below. David and I made our own version of the 3 Cheese Monte Cristo last night and we were quite happy with the way it turned out! Even if you are not a vegetarian, if you love cheese (like we do!) try the 3 Cheese version- you won't be disappointed!


3 Cheese Monte Cristo

For the Batter:::

In separate bowls,

whisk together:
1 egg
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk (we did a 1/4 cup of each)

combine:
2/3 cup flour
1 3/4 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Then whisk flour combination slowly into the egg mixture and set aside.

Bread:::
I used Earth Grains Potato, but any white sandwich bread will do. (I left the crust on).

Cheese Filling:::

Swiss
Brie
Mozzarella


This is tricky to describe. Basically, you want to make a grilled cheese sandwich with all 3 cheeses. Use as much or as little of each as you wish. My only advice is to lay the brie in between the mozzarella and the swiss, since it's the softest cheese, it will hold it all together.

Make your sandwiches*, and cut into quarters. Secure with a toothpick in the middle of each quarter. Cover with batter liberally and gently lift with fingers and carefully drop into the oil. It should be golden brown within 45 seconds. Allow the oil to drip off (I left it on the slotted metal spoon over a bowl) until the next one is ready to come out, then place on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to cool slightly before sprinkling for better presentation, otherwise the sugar will melt.


*About halfway through your sandwich prep, heat 2-4 inches of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan (unless you have a deep fryer) over medium heat. Test the temperature by dropping a teaspoon of batter into the oil- it should turn golden brown within 10 seconds and not burn within 20 seconds.


Remove toothpicks and serve with fruit, warm blackberry sauce (or your favorite fruit compote) and Disney music! Let me know how you like it!




James ate half of a sandwich dipped in blackberry sauce!

He loves berries!

David, thoroughly enjoying himself!


P.S.
I enjoyed this guy's review of the Monte Cristo sandwich and whole-heartedly agree with his analysis concluding that this is a very dessert like dinner. It reminds me very much of typical Southern cuisine (fried) and closely resembles beignets, but that's for another post!