Beef Blue Cheese Monte Cristo with Cherries Recipe

A Monte Cristo conjures up special memories of my childhood, it’s a sandwich that my dad would often make me by special request or I would order on the rare occasion we dined out. It was a far cry from my daily PB&J at the time. A traditional Monte Cristo features ham and melted cheese between bread that had been soaked in an egg-milk mixture and fried in the style of French toast (another of Dad’s specialties). Oh, and a topping of raspberry jam as a sticky-sweet finishing touch!

Beef Blue Cheese Monte Cristo ingredients

My version of this sandwich is even bolder and better! Imagine juicy roast beef sandwiched between a smear of blue cheese dressing AND blue cheese on one side and fresh, halved cherries AND cherry preserves on the other!

The deep sweetness of cherries paired with the distinctive edge of blue cheese is indescribably fantastic! I’ve long been a fan of either of these ingredients paired with a steak, so I figured both would bring double the delish! When cherry season has come and gone, I’ll try making this sandwich with pomegranate arils.

After assembling the sandwiches, each side is set in an egg-milk bath and the bread soaks the mixture up like a sponge. After a quick pan fry in a bit of butter, this “haute” hot sandwich is ready to be dressed as you like – add a drizzle of cherry preserves, more blue cheese dressing, more blue cheese crumble (I can never get my fill!), or even a little lettuce for an affirmation of green!

After assembling the sandwich, each side is set in an egg-milk bath

This is a great dish to get on the table during the busy back-to-school season, the kids will gobble it up and you’ll appreciate how quick it is to make on the stove-top. Also, August is National Sandwich Month, so what are you waiting for?!

Juicy roast beef sandwiched between a smear of blue cheese dressing

Ingredients

8 large slices sourdough bread
1/4 cup Litehouse Food’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
4 ounces Simply Artisan Reserve Blue Cheese Crumbles
8 ounces deli roast beef
1 cup cherries, halved and pitted
1/4 cup cherry preserves
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butterGarnish: additional bleu cheese dressing, cherry preserves, blue cheese crumbles and spring lettuce mix, as desired

Directions

Lay out bread, side by side. On first four pieces, spread 1 tablespoon of bleu cheese dressing on each slice. Top this with approximately 1 ounce of blue cheese crumbles and 2 ounces of roast beef.

On each of the remaining 4 slices, spread 1 tablespoon of cherry preserves and top with ¼ cup of cherries. Bring both sides of sandwich to meet each other.

In bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and salt. Pour out into very shallow pan or plate. Set sandwiches in the mixture, flipping to both sides, until most of the egg bath has been soaked up.

Heat skillet to medium heat and add ½ tablespoon of the butter. When butter starts foaming, set a single sandwich in the mixture and cook on each side, until egg-soaked bread firming up and outside browning, approximately 6 to 8 minutes total. Continue process with remaining butter and prepped sandwiches.

Slice in half and garnish as desired.

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