MONTE DE JULIAN APPLE SANDWICH
Chef Jeremy Manley ‘San Diego’s Sustainable Chef’ shares his Monte Cristo sandwich recipe with an apple twist. Watch his recipe video and listen to his Big Blend Radio podcast below where he shares apple recipe tips and talks about Julian, California, where his restaurant Jeremy’s on the Hill California Style Bistro is located, that’s known for growing apples, peaches, and pears. For more of Chef Manley’s recipes visit www.JeremysontheHill.com
Egg custard:
3 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of butter, melted.
Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
Apple Jam:
5 Fuji apples cut into 4 pieces (just remove the core)
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 teaspoon salt
2 splashes of Grand Marnier
Combine all ingredients into a soup pot and cook over medium flame for 15-22 minutes.
Pierce with a knife to see if it comes out smoothly and goes into the apples with no resistance.
If this is not the case, allow to cook another 15 minutes and try again.
Using a stick blender, puree your apple jam and allow to sit at room temperature.
For each sandwich you will need:
350-degree oven
Two pieces of sourdough bread
6 ounces of apple wood smoked ham
2 pieces of Cheddar, Swiss, or Manchego cheese
Caramelized onions or slightly grilled onions
Homemade apple jam (feel free to substitute raspberry preserves)
Put a tablespoon or more of butter into a sauté pan. Place over medium-high flame.
When your butter begins to brown, grab your premade Monte de Julian sandwich.
Lightly dip your sandwich into your egg-custard batter and place in the sizzling hot pan.
Look around the edges of the sandwich for a golden-brown color to form, this will determine if the sandwich is ready to be flipped.
Once flipped, turn the flame down low for about 30 seconds and finish cooking.
Turn the burner off and place in your toasty oven. Your cheese will begin to melt.
Pull your Monte de Julian out of the oven and let sit to stabilize for about 3 minutes.
Then, cut from corner to corner and garnish with powdered sugar, and serve with extra dollops of your apple jam.
Enjoy!
