Monte Cristo sandwich

[Bruce Dykes]

-----Original Message-----
From: Bapopik at AOL.COM <Bapopik at AOL.COM>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Date: Thursday, June 01, 2000 12:35 AM
Subject: Monte Cristo sandwich


>MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH
>
>     From John Mariani's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN FOOD & DRINK:
>
>_Monte Cristo sandwich._  A sandwich composed of ham, chicken, and Swiss
>cheese enclosed in bread that is dipped in beaten egg and fried until
golden
>brown.  The origin of the name is not known.
>
>     From GOURMET, July 1968, pg. 53, col. 2:
>
>A: Perhaps named after the Count, here is
>     _Monte Cristo Sandwich_


The recipe is descended from the French Croque Monsieur, essentially as
described, ham and cheese sandwich dipped in egg batter and sauteed in
butter. Whence the evolution to Monte Cristo, I have no idea. The recipe
itself has undergone mutation as well in the intervening years...you now
sometimes find a Monte Cristo is nothing more than ham, turkey and cheese,
stacked on French toast and cooked.

Compare also to Croque Madame (frome Epicurious):
[KROHK mah-DAHM]
In France, this is a CROQUE MONSIEUR (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) with
the addition of a fried egg. In Britain and America, a croque madame simply
substitutes sliced chicken for the ham, with no sign of an egg.

[KROHK muhs-YOOR]
A French-style grilled ham and cheese sandwich that is dipped into beaten
egg before being sautéed in butter. Croque monsieur is sometimes made in a
special sandwich-grilling iron consisting of two hinged metal plates, each
with two shell-shaped indentations. See also  CROQUE MADAME.