Monte Cristo

Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ cups milk
• 8 slices Texas Toast bread
• dijon mustard
• 1 lb sliced ham
• 1 lb sliced turkey
• ½ lb sliced Swiss cheese

• powdered sugar
• raspberry or strawberry preserves
• mixed berry salad
• whipped cream

• deep fryer
• toothpicks
• sheet pan fitted with nonstick cooling rack

Directions

1. Preheat deep fryer to 360°F.
2. Put basket on the bottom of the fryer. (If you put the battered sandwich halves in the basket, they will stick!)
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a deep bowl.
4. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs and milk.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
6. Lay out 4 slices of Texas Toast bread and spread them with Dijon mustard.
7. Distribute the ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese evenly among the 4 slices of Texas Toast bread.
8. Spread the remaining 4 slices of Texas Toast bread with Dijon mustard and place them, mustard side down, onto the ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese.
9. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally, corner to corner, and secure each sandwich half with 3-4 toothpicks.
10. Dip each sandwich half in the batter to coat, allowing any extra batter to drip back into the bowl.
11. Gently place two sandwich halves at a time into the deep fryer and fry for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown on both sides.
12. Lift the basket to remove sandwich halves from the deep fryer, remove the Monte Cristos from the basket with tongs, and drain on a sheet pan with a nonstick cooling rack.
13. Repeat, two sandwich halves at a time, until all the sandwich halves have become Monte Cristos.
14. Remove the toothpicks (very important!), plate, and dust with powdered sugar.
15. Serve with a huge dollop of strawberry or raspberry preserves and a fresh mixed berry salad topped with whipped cream.