Ultimate Monte Cristo

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup club soda
• 1 1/2 cups dark beer
• 6 slices bread or 6 slices whole wheat sourdough bread, each buttered on one side
• 6 ounces gruyere cheese, sliced into 18 1/16 inch thick slices
• 8 ounces smoked ham, such as black forest, sliced into 9 1/16 inch thick slices
• 8 ounces roast turkey meat, sliced into 9 1/16 inch thick slices
• 5 tablespoons strawberry jam, plus
• extra strawberry jam, to serve on the side
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Recipe

• 1 to make the batter: in a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cayenne, and salt.
• 2 whisk in the club soda and beer.
• 3 the mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter.
• 4 refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
• 5 to assemble the sandwiches: set half of the slices buttered side down, and cover with the cheese slices, folding them over if they extend past the edges.
• 6 layer the ham and turkey over the cheese, and spread the jam over the turkey.
• 7 place the top slice of bread on, buttered side up.
• 8 grill the sandwiches on both sides.
• 9 pour the oil into a deep heavy-duty saucepan to fill it halfway.
• 10 heat the oil to 350°f (175°c), measuring the temperature on a deep-fat thermometer.
• 11 cut the sandwiches on a diagonal into thirds, to make 9 triangular pieces.
• 12 stir the batter.
• 13 dip each sandwich piece into the batter, thoroughly coating it.
• 14 fry the pieces 2 or 3 at a time, being careful not to overcrowd them in the pan.
• 15 cook them for about 3 minutes on each side, until they're nicely browned, and transfer to a paper towel to drain.
• 16 allow the oil to come back up to temperature before you fry the next batch of sandwiches.
• 17 place the sandwiches on a platter.
• 18 sift a very heavy layer of powdered sugar over them, and serve with a side of jam.