Chedder & Fig Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs & the milk thoroughly, pour into a square baking dish (deeper rather than long & shallow) & set aside.
2. Spread Dijon mustard on one slice of baguette & the fig preserves on the other.
3. Fold your ham slice & place over the slice of bread with the mustard then add the cheddar cheese slices (folded if using pre-sliced).
4. Gently set the assembled Monte Cristos into your baking dish. Let them sit for a minute or so. Once soaked, turn them over in the baking dish to ensure the entire sandwich gets soaked in the egg/milk mixture. After about 5 or so minutes they are ready to cook. If you’re using stale french bread they can soak longer, potentially even over night. I used fresh bread & didn’t want the slices to get too soggy that they fall apart so play it by ear
5. Melt your butter & olive oil in a frying pan on medium high heat & cook your sandwiches 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown & crispy. They should resemble french toast. This is essentially a french toast sandwich after all. If you are cooking them in batches, store them in the oven on 250 degrees to keep warm.
6. Once ready to eat, sift powdered sugar over them, drizzle with pure maple syrup & top with the sliced figs. Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee! Note: I had a lot of egg/milk mixture. I can’t stand to waste food so I sprinkled the leftover mixture with salt & pepper & made scrambled eggs as a side. You could alternatively use less eggs but I really wanted the bread to be completely soaked. The result is a nice fluffy yet crisp sandwich. Your call!