Monte Cristo With Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing

 While I was cleaning up the kitchen yesterday morning, instead of dumping out the  remaining egg & milk mixture left from making french toast, I decided to whip together a Monte Cristo with turkey instead of ham. Because it was Monday, I would be  trying to use up ingredients in the refrigerator that were  half-used or ready to expire.  You know, the ends of the jar, 3 day old deli meat or the last of the vegetables.  I had turkey meat, asparagus, white cheddar and shallots on my mind specifically. A Monte Cristo is a fried ham and cheese sandwich, a variation of the French croque-monsieur. In the 1930s–1960s, American cookbooks had recipes for this sandwich under such names as French Sandwich, Toasted Ham Sandwich, and French Toasted Cheese Sandwich. Emmental or Gruyère cheese is typically used.  In most regions, the sandwich is savory rather than sweet.
The Monte Cristo has been known to be occasionally served with preserves. Yum. 

Ingredients

• 18 slices bread of choice (white, whole wheat, gluten-free)
• Butter for spreading
• 1/2 lb. turkey breast (you can also use ham)
• 4 ounces of white cheddar  or swiss cheese like Gruyere, shredded
• Honey mustard dressing or spread, recipe to follow or link here
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• Salt 7 freshly ground pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg

Directions

1. For each sandwich use 3 slices of bread. Butter one side of bread first, then cover opposite side with meat and some cheese.
2. Spread  both sides of the second slice of bread  with a little mustard.  
3. Place on top of turkey and cheese.  top with bit more meat and cheese.
4. Butter third slice of bread for top, butter side up; press sandwich lightly and trim crusts.
5. I used a biscuit cutter to make mini individual tea size sandwiches.
6. Beat eggs with milk and spices. Dip sandwiches into the egg mixture and fry on a hot skillet .
7. Brown on all sides, adding more butter when necessary. 

I served this with a small salad of asparagus and macerated shallots.
Recipe for Honey Mustard 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (you could also use yellow mustard)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, add all ingredients.
2. Heat on medium high heat to bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simer for about 10 minutes, making sure all sugar is dissolved and sauce has turned a nice dark brown color.
4. Remove from heat and store in a bottle up to 2 weeks.

Read more at http://sherryscafevita.blogspot.com/2013/03/homemade-honey-mustard-sauce-or-dressing.html#zHX3d8cSqOIrSepo.99