If there’s one dish that is synonymous with the Blue Bayou restaurant inside Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, it’s the Monte Cristo Sandwich. The southern classic is perfectly themed to the stately mansion that looks out over the Louisiana bayou set in a constant state of night.
Millions of guests have bitten down on the crunchy, gooey, deep-fried masterpiece of flavor combinations. The Monte Cristo is perfect for special occasions or just when you have a craving for a rich treat.
Since Disneyland is closed amid the Coronavirus concerns, we’re excited to present to you the official Disneyland recipe for the iconic Monte Cristo sandwich. The good news is you probably have all of these ingredients at home right now.
Anything deep fried starts with a good batter. For the Monte Cristo you will need
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/3 cups water
1 egg
Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Then beat the egg and add it and water to flour mixture and mix well. Set aside.
Start heating your oil (canola or safflower) in your deep fryer or a deep pan. You want it to be about 4 inches deep.
Now it’s time to build your sandwich. Nothing fancy here.
2 slices white bread
1 oz. sliced white turkey meat
1 oz. sliced Swiss cheese (it’s worth it to splurge and buy the good stuff here)
1 oz. sliced ham
If you want to get fancy go for an extra layer by adding another layer of bread and double the other ingredients.
Make sandwich with turkey on the bottom and cheese between in the middle. Yes, the order is important. No, we don’t know why. Cut sandwich into quarters and secure each quarter together with a toothpick or three.
Once oil has hit 360 degrees (You will want to wait for it to come back up to temperature between frying each piece), dip a quarter in the batter making sure to get it all covered, then carefully insert a quarter into the oil and fry until it is golden brown.
Remove toothpicks then dust with powdered sugar. We like to serve ours with raspberry jelly and a side of grapes just like they do at the Blue Bayou.
The history of the Monte Cristo Sandwich can be traced back to France where they serve something called a Croque Monsieur. Originally serve as a ham and Gruyere cheese fried sandwich, it has morphed into an open faced tartine served with melted cheese on top, but not usually deep fried.
The Monte Cristo has been a staple of the Blue Bayou menu since 1966. It was also served at the Tahitian Terrace restaurant for a while where it was cleverly named the “Montea Kristo Ai – Mama” keeping with the south Pacific theme.
If you’ve enjoyed a Monte Cristo sandwich at the Blue Bayou, how would you describe the experience? If you try this recipe above and make it at home, please share the result with us via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
My favorite sandwich of all time!
This is a must try, I have not seen a deep fried sandwich before.
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