Bennigan's The Monte Cristo               

 tags (edit): Top Secret @Try Soon! @Vogel Sandwiches  

 

It sounds crazy, but it tastes great: A triple-decker ham, turkey, and cheese sandwich is dipped in a tempura-style batter; fried to a golden brown; then served with a dusting of powdered sugar and a side of raspberry preserves for dipping. For over ten years we've been fielding tons of requests to clone this one, so I figured it was about time for a roadtrip to San Diego. There are no Bennigan's in Las Vegas, and since the Bennigan's chain made this sandwich famous, we had to get to Bennigan's. Back home, with an ice chest full of Monte Cristo sandwiches to work with, I was able to come up with this simple clone for a delicious sandwich that is crispy on the outside, and hot, but not greasy, on the inside (the batter prevents the shortening from penetrating). This recipe makes one sandwich, which may be enough food for two. If you want to make more, you'll probably need to make more batter so that any additional sandwiches get a real good dunking.

Ingredients

8 cups vegetable shortening
-Sandwich-
3 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
1 slice Swiss cheese deli-style
3 ounces sliced turkey deli-style
1 slice American cheese deli-style
3 ounces sliced ham deli-style
-Batter-
2 egg yolks
1 cup ice water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
-On Top-
1 powdered sugar
-On the Side-
1 raspberry preserves


 

Instructions
 1. Heat 8 to 12 cups of shortening in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees. You will need the hot shortening to be at least 4 inches deep.

2. Make the sandwich by arranging the slice of Swiss cheese on a piece of wheat bread. Arrange the turkey breast on the Swiss cheese. Place a piece of wheat bread on the turkey. Place the slice of American cheese on the wheat bread. Arrange the ham slices on the American cheese. Top off the sandwich with the third slice of bread. Make sure the meat is not hanging over the edge of the sandwich. Press down on the sandwich with the palm of your hand to flatten it a bit.

3. Make the batter by beating the egg yolks. Stir in the ice water. Measure the flour and baking soda into a sifter, and sift the mixture into the ice water and egg yolk. Stir with a large spoon, but don't mix it too well. You should still have many visible lumps in the batter.

4. Slice the sandwich in half from corner to corner. Dip one half of the sandwich in the batter, while holding it together with your fingers (the batter will hold the sandwich together in the shortening). Coat the sandwich well, but let any excess batter fall off. Drop the battered sandwich half into the oil. If your pan or fryer can fit the other half of the sandwich, batter that piece and drop it into the fryer as well. If your fryer is small, you may only be able to fry only one half at a time. Fry the sandwich for 6 to 8 minutes, turning it over halfway through cooking time. It should be golden brown when done.

5. Remove the sandwich halves to paper towels to drain. When you can touch the sandwich, slice each half in half making four pieces. Dust the sandwich with powdered sugar and serve it with a small bowl of raspberry preserves.

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Yields: 2 Servings
     Todd Wilbur, http://www.topsecretrecipes.com

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