Name: Monte Cristo In Braided Puff Pastry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: -
Ingredients: 1 Sheet of puff pastry thawed in the refrigerator overnight; 4 Slices Swiss Cheese; 4 Slices roast turkey; 4 Slices Ham; ½ Cup finely grated Gruyere cheese; 1 Egg; 1 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Thyme; 1 Tbsp. Fresh Chives sliced; ¼ Cup Raspberry Jam or Preserves; Confectioner’s Sugar for dusting

YIELDS:

4 servings

PREP TIME:

0 hours 10 mins

COOK TIME:

0 hours 35 mins

TOTAL TIME:

0 hours 45 mins

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ingredients

1 Sheet of puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight

4 Slices Swiss Cheese

4 Slices roast turkey

4 Slices Ham

½ Cup finely grated Gruyere cheese

1 Egg

1 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Thyme

1 Tbsp. Fresh Chives, sliced

¼ Cup Raspberry Jam or Preserves

Confectioner’s Sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Layout out the pastry on a lightly floured cutting board and gently roll out the dough in both directions increasing its dimensions by ½ – 1 inch on all sides.

3. Place the pastry on a tinfoil, parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet. Using the folds in the store bought pastry as you guide, cut two one inch cuts along the two folds at the top and bottom of the pastry. Next, cut about eight slices in the pastry on each side of the fold, leaving the middle of the pastry flat and untouched. (See photos). Cut the slices slightly on an angle so they overlap in a decorative angle over the filling.

4. Lay the turkey evenly across the bottom. Top with a layer of the Swiss cheese. Top with the ham and then top that with the grated Gruyere. Sprinkle with the chopped thyme.

5. Fold up the two one-inch ends that you cut. This will enclose the ends of the pastry. Now, fold over one strip on each side of the filling, alternating sides until you cover the filling in a braid pattern. (See photos).

6. Once the bread is completed, beat the egg in a small dish and brush it over the entire exterior of the pastry. This will make it get golden brown when it bakes.

7. Bake in the oven for approximately 25-35 minutes until the pastry is completely puffed, golden brown and the filling is hot and the cheese is melted.

8. Serve the Monte Cristo dusted with confectioner’s sugar and sprinkled with the chives. Serve with a small bowl of the raspberry preserves or jam on the side. Enjoy.

NOTE: One of my all time favorite sandwiches in NYC was the Monte Cristo. Ham and Swiss between two thick slices of bread dipped in egg like French toast then fried up in a skillet. It was always served with powdered sugar and raspberry jam. I drool when I think about it.

That’s what inspired this dish. I added Turkey and two types of cheese to the mix and wrapped it up in puff pastry. While I don’t dip in egg and fry, I do brush the pastry with an egg wash to get it golden brown and always serve it with raspberry jam. Simple, easy and oh so elegant when you do the braid. I know, I know…you don’t have to but it looks great. This isn’t hard to do at all. Just follow along with the photos below and you’ll be braiding like a pro in no time. Plus your guests will just love the presentation.

Don’t feel like braiding? You won’t hurt my feelings. Roll out the dough and fill half and fold over the other half of the pastry. Crimp the edges with a fork and put multiple slits on the top of the pastry and you should be good to go.

Let me know what you think.