Use Frozen French Toast For A Shortcut Monte Cristo Sandwich

Monte Cristo sandwiches are delicious, decadent, and a wonderful example of how to marry sweet and savory flavors. When you get a perfectly made Monte Cristo that balances fatty fillings like cheese and ham with sweet toppings like powdered sugar or raspberry jam, eating it without stopping for a breath is easy. Cooking one yourself, however, is anything but.

To make a Monte Cristo, you have to not only assemble the sandwich but coat the whole thing in a seasoned egg wash and fry it on both sides in a skillet, which can leave more mess than you'd like when making any other sandwich. Thankfully, there is a simple frozen aisle shortcut to make quick Monte Cristos without the messy egg wash and all the extra steps.

Using frozen French toast as the bread for your sandwich will help you skip the step of coating everything in egg wash and frying until golden brown. Frozen French toast is already cooked and browned, contains a similar egg wash, and adds some sweetness to balance the richness of the fillings. To make your Monte Cristo, you can assemble the sandwich using the still-frozen French toast and bake it in the oven or air fryer until the bread is warmed through and the cheese is melted.

If you don't like the taste of prepackaged French toast from the market or want more control over how sweet the bread is, you can make the French toast for your Monte Cristo yourself. This may sound like a zero net gain on time savings, but cooking a large batch of French toast and storing it in airtight bags in the freezer can help you quickly make multiple Monte Cristo meals for weeks to come. It's also a great way to repurpose French toast that goes uneaten by the family for those Sunday morning brunches.

Experiment with your Monte Cristo bread by using different types for your premade French toast. Sourdough, French bread, and challah are all good examples of bread that are sturdy enough for egg wash and won't fall apart in the pan or oven when cooking these shortcut Monte Cristos. Because you can buy these types of bread in whole loaves, you can slice them thickly — ideally 3/4 of an inch — to help them stand up to dipping and cooking. Avoid pre-sliced sandwich bread, as these varieties are thin and at risk of falling apart later.

Adding some variation to your ingredients for these French bistro classics will keep you and your diners excited for their next sweet-and-savory-sandwich experience.