Monte Cristo Crepes (Two Ways)

The Disappointment of a Restaurant Monte Cristo

When I was a kid, I thought the deep-fried Monte Cristo from Bennigan’s was the height of Fancy.

A sandwich, deep-fried, cut into fancy triangles and served with powdered sugar? And raspberry jam?

So fancy!

I have long wanted to put a Monte Cristo on the blog, but I have had a couple over the last couple of years–for research, mind you–that left me underwhelmed and sad.

I’m not sure if Bennigan’s were the best and the rest are just sad imitations or whether my tastes have changed over the years, but here’s what I have found about restaurant Monte Cristo sandwiches.

They are:

• Too bready
• Overly fatty
• Super heavy on the batter
• One-note. Not enough contrast between the meats, cheese, bread, and the jam

Why You Need to Make These Monte Cristo Crepes

Now that we have that unpleasantness out of the way, here’s what’s great about my version.

They are:

• More balanced, bread (crepe) to fillings
• Less greasy than their restaurant cousins
• Coated with a light and airy batter that doesn’t feel heavy
• The perfect contrast of meaty/cheesy/crepe-y to zingy condiment that balances the rich flavors

How To Make Them

First, if you have never made crepes before, check out my post all about how to make crepes. You can also buy crepes if you prefer.

You can also decide whether or not to deep fry or to bake them.

Deep-frying is sort of a signature Monte Cristo characteristic, but it can also be messy, requires more ingredients, and requires more cleanup.

So, you decide.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need for deep-fried Monte Cristos.

• crepes: Homemade or storebought. I think homemade is better, but do what you gotta do to make these guys!
• deli ham: Your favorite, such as Black Forest, honey ham, etc.
• deli turkey: You could use smoked turkey here if you like. They’re your Monte Cristos, so go for it
• Swiss cheese: Any Swiss will work here. If you’re feeling fancy, aged Gruyere is richer and has more flavor than regular sliced Swiss. I made them both ways. Both ways turned out great.

For the Batter

• flour: regular all-purpose. You could also use cake flour if you have some
• cornstarch: Sometimes all-wheat flour frying batter can feel a bit heavy. They have a tendency to drink up some oil. Using 90% flour and 10% cornstarch keeps things light and crispy. You’ll also dust the folded crepes with cornstarch so the batter has something to stick to
• baking powder: I tested with 1 Tablespoon and with 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Unsurprisingly, the batter with more baking powder poofed up spectacularly, but I preferred the batter made with less leavening. It provided a thinner but no-less-crispy result, which made the sandwich feel more balanced. It’s your choice, though
• ice water: The colder the water, the less gluten will be activated, so between gentle mixing and cold water, your batter will stay nice and light. You can substitute club soda or sparkling water for an even lighter result
• fry oil: Use your favorite neutral frying oil. I like peanut oil

For Garnish

• powdered sugar: Put some powdered sugar in a fine mesh strainer and let that stuff rain down all over your sandwich. You can also use non-melting powdered sugar (snow sugar or powdered dextrose) so it stays nice and white, even if you have to hold them for a few minutes before serving.
• raspberry balsamic vinegar: Pick some up at any oil and vinegar store convenient to you. And if you don’t live near one, you can grab some from Amazon. This stuff is rich, sharp, sweet, and packs big raspberry flavor. It’s the perfect foil to the rich Monte Cristo crepe! You can also substitute a mixture of raspberry jam mixed with an equal amount of balsamic vinegar. The bonus there is your drizzle will be red and not brown. Both ways are delicious!

Procedure

In short, you’ll add your meat and cheese to your crepe, dunk it in your batter, fry them up, garnish and devour.

Here’s how I filled my crepes. You can fill them however you prefer, but this triangle fold held together nicely for frying:

1. Cut a slit from the edge of the crepe into the center, then place ham, turkey and cheese in the four “quadrants.”
2. Fold the bottom left up.
3. Fold the two-layered top left over.
4. Fold the three-layered top down.

Now you have a triangle.

Once you have your crepes all folded, dunk them in a plate of cornstarch, making sure all the sides and edges are coated.

Brush off excess.

Once you have all the crepes dusted, it’s time to fry.

Heat about 3″ of oil to 350F-360F.

Once your oil has come to temperature, hold a filled crepe by the open, wide end and dunk into the batter.

Use a spoon or something to make sure it’s completely coated.

Let excess drain off back into the bowl.

Carefully slip the crepe into the hot oil, point side down.

Fry until deep golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Hit it with some powdered sugar or sugar snow, drizzle it with raspberry balsamic or just serve it on the side, and dig in while it’s hot.

Procedure for Baking

Baking your Monte Cristo crepes simplifies things immensely.

Once you get your crepes all filled and folded, place them on a lightly oiled half-sheet pan and heat them at 350F for about 10-12 minutes, or until they’re hot all the way through and the cheese is melted.

Cut each in half, plate them up, hit them with some powdered sugar and a drizzle of garnish (or serve it on the side), and you’re ready to eat!

Equipment You May Need

You’ll need a big pot for frying (if you decide to fry), and I love this skimmer for turning the sandwiches in the hot oil, for holding them under the oil so they cook on all sides, and for skimming out bits of leftover batter so they don’t burn.

Variations

Now that you can make a Monte Cristo crepe, deep-fried or not, play with the fillings.

Beef and cheddar? Sure. Ham and cheese? Obviously.

Plain cheese? Yes. In that case, dip that guy in mustard. So good!

Add bacon? Of course.

You can pretty much turn any hot sandwich into a filled crepe sandwich, so have fun with it.

Tips for Success

Fry only one sandwich at a time. Putting them in the oil point side down minimizes the chance of any fillings falling out before they can get sealed in by the cooked batter.

If serving a crowd, keep your finished fried sandwiches in a warm oven until serving. Baked ones will all be ready at the same time.

Monte Cristo Crepes Q & A

Serving Suggestions

If enjoying Monte Cristo crepes for breakfast, they’re pretty much all you need.

If serving for another meal, consider half-servings and a nice salad. Especially with the fried version, vinegar really balances the richness, so consider a side of cucumber salad or pickled beets.

You know what else would be lovely? A citrus salad. Yes, try that!

Questions

If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.

Thanks for spending some time with me today.

I really hope you love these Monte Cristos, whether you bake or fry them. They’re definitely the grown-up version of the Monte Cristo I loved as a Much Younger Person!

Take care, and have a lovely day.

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