Chef John’s Monte Cristo Benedict

Description

Imagine the best French toast you’ve ever had, combined with the best ham and cheese sandwich you’ve ever had, topped with perfectly poached eggs. You don’t need any Hollandaise because the poached egg yolks are the sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 4 thick slices day-old French bread
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 8 thin slices cooked ham
  • 4 slices Cheddar cheese
  • 4 slices Havarti cheese
  • 8 poached eggs
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives, or to taste
  • 1 pinch kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Whisk 2 eggs
  3. cream
  4. white sugar
  5. salt
  6. 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  7. cinnamon
  8. and allspice together in a bowl until batter is thoroughly combined.
  9. Lay bread slices into batter
  10. one at a time
  11. and let bread absorb the mixture. Turn bread slices in batter until almost all batter has been absorbed
  12. about 10 minutes.
  13. Heat a large skillet over medium heat
  14. and melt butter in the hot skillet. Cook bread slices in the hot butter until browned
  15. 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer French toast slices to a baking sheet.
  16. Lay ham slices into the hot skillet and cook until meat begins to brown
  17. about 1 minute per side.
  18. To assemble
  19. place a Cheddar cheese slice on a slice of French toast
  20. top with 2 slices of ham
  21. and lay a Havarti cheese slice over ham.
  22. Bake in the preheated oven until French toast pieces are no longer wet
  23. the batter is set
  24. and cheese has melted and begun to brown
  25. about 20 minutes.
  26. Place sandwiches on serving plates and top each with 2 poached eggs. Season with kosher salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Servings: 4

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