These Monte Cristo Crepes will be your new favorite brunch recipe. Use store-bought or homemade crepes, fill them with ham, turkey and Swiss, then either batter and deep-fry or bake until hot. Either way, hit them with some powdered sugar and serve with a side of raspberry balsamic vinegar. You can also make them a day or two ahead, throw them on a sheet pan, and be ready for your brunch crowd in about 20 minutes.
Dust each stuffed crepe in cornstarch and dust off the excess.
Once all your crepes are stuffed, heat 3" of oil to 350F.
While the oil is heating, gently mix the batter ingredients together with a knife. This is to make sure you don't overmix. It's okay to have some lumps.
Let the batter sit until the oil is up to temperature.
Working one at a time, dunk each filled crepe into the batter, point side down, letting the excess drain off back into the bowl.
Carefully slip the sandwich into the hot oil, point side down, and cook until deep golden brown all over, about 3 minutes per side. You can also use your skimmer to hold the sandwich completely under the oil so the whole thing cooks at once. I still flip mine carefully a time or two, because I love to play with my food.
Remove the fried Monte Cristo with the skimmer, allowing as much of the fat as possible to drain back into the pot. Place the drained sandwich on a paper towel-lined cooling rack to cool. NOTE: If you can make your guys stand up on edge, excess oil will drain more completely.
Once they drain for a couple of minutes, cut in half with a serrated knife, plate up, dust with powdered sugar, and serve with raspberry balsamic or a mixture of raspberry jam and balsamic vinegar.
If you want to serve them all at once, keep them warm in a 250F oven.
See Notes for Baking Instructions.
Notes
Baking Instructions
You will not need the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and water.
Assemble the sandwiches as shown in the photo (or however you'd like, honestly).
Place assembled Monte Cristos on a half-sheet pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350F or until the cheese is melted.
Cut each in half, plate them up, hit them with some powdered sugar and a drizzle of garnish (or serve it on the side), and you're ready to eat!
Monte Cristo Crepe Q&A
How long will these keep? Keep filled but unbaked/unfried crepes in the fridge, well-wrapped, for up to three days. After cooking, refrigerate any leftovers for up to three more days.How do I reheat them? Reheat baked Monte Cristo crepes in the microwave for about 1 minute and then finish heating them in your oven or toaster oven at 350F for about 10-12 minutes. Reheat fried crepes by heating in the microwave for 1 minute. Heat at 350F for about 10 minutes and then turn up the heat to 425F and continue heating for an additional 5 minutes. If you have an air fryer, that would be an ideal way to reheat either version.Can these be frozen? Yes. Before baking/frying, wrap each individually and then freeze in a zip-top freezer bag or wrapped in foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight and allow them to sit on the counter for an hour or so before frying or baking.Estimated Nutritional Information for Baked Monte Cristo CrepesPer Sandwich