Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
This is an original creation, though I am not so egomaniacal as to imagine I am the first person to do something like this. The concept is based on the Monte Cristo sandwich, which is itself a variation of the croque monsieur. Whereas the croque monsieur is basically a ham-and-cheese sandwich griddled and topped with more melted cheese and/or a béchamel or other sauce, the Monte Cristo is the same sandwich but dipped in eggwash mixture – essentially turning the bread slices into French toast.
Our Pain Perdu recipe (Cajun-style French toast): youtu.be/aGVHxbai7tA
In short, this is basically a savory pain perdu recipe, wherein we soak the old bread in an eggwash-type mixture as if we were making traditional (sweet) pain perdu. Our eggwash, however, contains grated shallot and a bit of hot sauce.
These are best right after they’re made, but they remain tasty for a couple of hours, so they’re not a completely ridiculous idea for a canapé, apart from the necessity to fry them all.
Makes enough for 2-4 people, roughly 8 pieces.
Equipment:
• shallow tray for soaking bread slices
• fork
• non-stick skillet
• spatula for handling cooking bread
• tray or plate w/ paper towel for finished crostini
• baking sheet for melting cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 loaf day-old bread or two days, but not super old and dry
2 ea eggs
1/4-1/2 cup milk depending on the amount of bread
1 ea shallot grated
1⁄4 tsp hot sauce
to taste salt and pepper
2 oz hard, aromatic cheese gruyere-ish
Procedure:
1. Grate the shallot into the shallow tray and mix with the other wet ingredients.
2. Slice the bread just under an inch thick and place it into the tray, then flip it over immediately so that it’s wet on both sides, and let stand 5 or so minutes. Do not allow the bread to soak completely wet or it will come apart.
3. Get the skillet hot over medium heat with a mix of high-temp oil and butter in it, a couple tablespoons total.
4. Once the butter starts to bubble, place the bread slices into it. If they seem dry on top, flip them once more first, but then put them in the pan immediately.
5. Let them cook about 5 minutes a side; the time will vary depending on the temperature of the pan. A lower temperature allows them to cook fully without browning too much.
6. Once they are nice and golden brown on both sides, remove them to a paper-towel-lined tray (optionally) or put them straight onto a parchment-lined sheet pan to go under the broiler.
7. Once all the pieces are done, arrange them on the parchment-lined baking sheet and top each one with shredded cheese.
8. Place these immediately under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
9. Serve with hearty soup or fricassee.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
This is an original creation, though I am not so egomaniacal as to imagine I am the first person to do something like this. The concept is based on the Monte Cristo sandwich, which is itself a variation of the croque monsieur. Whereas the croque monsieur is basically a ham-and-cheese sandwich griddled and topped with more melted cheese and/or a béchamel or other sauce, the Monte Cristo is the same sandwich but dipped in eggwash mixture – essentially turning the bread slices into French toast.
Our Pain Perdu recipe (Cajun-style French toast): youtu.be/aGVHxbai7tA
In short, this is basically a savory pain perdu recipe, wherein we soak the old bread in an eggwash-type mixture as if we were making traditional (sweet) pain perdu. Our eggwash, however, contains grated shallot and a bit of hot sauce.
These are best right after they’re made, but they remain tasty for a couple of hours, so they’re not a completely ridiculous idea for a canapé, apart from the necessity to fry them all.
Makes enough for 2-4 people, roughly 8 pieces.
Equipment:
• shallow tray for soaking bread slices
• fork
• non-stick skillet
• spatula for handling cooking bread
• tray or plate w/ paper towel for finished crostini
• baking sheet for melting cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 loaf day-old bread or two days, but not super old and dry
2 ea eggs
1/4-1/2 cup milk depending on the amount of bread
1 ea shallot grated
1⁄4 tsp hot sauce
to taste salt and pepper
2 oz hard, aromatic cheese gruyere-ish
Procedure:
1. Grate the shallot into the shallow tray and mix with the other wet ingredients.
2. Slice the bread just under an inch thick and place it into the tray, then flip it over immediately so that it’s wet on both sides, and let stand 5 or so minutes. Do not allow the bread to soak completely wet or it will come apart.
3. Get the skillet hot over medium heat with a mix of high-temp oil and butter in it, a couple tablespoons total.
4. Once the butter starts to bubble, place the bread slices into it. If they seem dry on top, flip them once more first, but then put them in the pan immediately.
5. Let them cook about 5 minutes a side; the time will vary depending on the temperature of the pan. A lower temperature allows them to cook fully without browning too much.
6. Once they are nice and golden brown on both sides, remove them to a paper-towel-lined tray (optionally) or put them straight onto a parchment-lined sheet pan to go under the broiler.
7. Once all the pieces are done, arrange them on the parchment-lined baking sheet and top each one with shredded cheese.
8. Place these immediately under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
9. Serve with hearty soup or fricassee.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
