Monte Cristo Sandwich with Basil Mayo

What is better than brunch on a sunny morning in a beach house with friends? Enjoying monte cristo sandwiches with friends in a beach house. I have fond memories of this cheesy sandwich from when I was a kid. It has always been one of my favorite breakfast items, but it's not a common one to find on restaurant menus. That's OK, though, because homemade is best. You can control the amount of cheese (lots! or none), and you can use your favorite meats. I love recipes like this that can be easily customized to fit different tastes.

I often describe the monte cristo as a french toast sandwich, but that's not entirely correct. I don't use any cinnamon in the mixture that I coat my bread with. I suppose you could add some cinnamon and sugar into the egg mixture for a little something special, but I tend to enjoy savory sandwiches over sweet. The recipe below is for 1 sandwich so you can multiply it by however many sandwiches you want to make.

Ingredients:

1 egg
2 slices of your favorite bread
2 thin slices of ham
2 thin slices of turkey
1 slice of cooked bacon
2 slices of colby jack cheese
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 large basil leaf, chopped
ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Mix egg(s) in a small bowl with a whisk until smooth. Add a dash of pepper to the egg.

2. Place the bread on a plate and add cheese and meat to make a sandwich.

3. Pour the egg mixture in a large, wide bowl and then place the sandwich with one side down. Let the sandwich sit in the egg for about 2 minutes and then carefully turn it to coat the other side with egg. Use toothpicks to keep the sandwich together if needed.

4. Heat the butter in a pan on medium until melted.

5. Turn the heat to low and cook each side of the sandwich for about 5 or 6 minutes to melt the cheese inside.

6. In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise with the basil well combined.

7. Place the sandwich and a spoonful of mayo on the plate to dip it as you eat. Enjoy!