Monte Cristo Breakfast Pizza
September 9, 2017 by Nicole Collins
It's confession time!
I'm sure you guys love confession time. It's when I share all of my embarrassing little secrets with you, and you can literally LOL without me ever knowing.
Well, you're welcome. I'm here for you.
There are a few detours that we'll take from today's confession. So, let's just start at the center.
I talk to myself...A LOT.
You see, I've spent a lot of time by myself over the years. Growing up, I was the only child in my household until I was 11. I've lived roommate free for about 10 years. I have a pretty crappy commute, so I spend about 2 hours a day alone in the car. I have an office at work where I can shut the door, close the blinds, and turn my phone on “do not disturb” when I have a project that needs a lot of focus. And, it can get kind of lonely in there.
Though, surprisingly, a shut door, closed blinds, and off phone still seems like an invitation for many to barge in and start telling me their life story. So, actually I'm never alone at work. Scratch that example.
But, my first few examples have taught me to become really good at entertaining myself. And, one way that I entertain myself is by talking to myself.
Sometimes, I play out conversations that I've had and stress about what I coulda woulda shoulda said. Sometimes, I play out conversations that I intend to have so I feel like I'm keeping the upper hand. Sometimes, I have conversations with myself and pose questions to myself that someone might ask me some day.
I know...it's super weird. But, it's how I pass the time.
In a recent discussion with myself, I was contemplating what my favorite things are. And I realized, I can't sit here and tell anyone what my favorite food is, what my favorite movie is, what my favorite song is, or even what my favorite color is. I have a lot of favorites...2 colors, 3 meals, 1 movie per category, 1 song per genre. But, I couldn't pick a FAVORITE. This makes me feel a little strange. (Consider this detour 1.)
Is it weird that I don't have an all time favorite thing? I blame this on being a Libra. I'm not one to live by the zodiac code or follow astrology, but there are a few stereotypical qualities of Libras that I totally encompass. So, I gladly will blame the zodiac (instead of myself), whenever possible.
Libras are know for being uber emotional, needing balance at all times, and being very indecisive. I blame not being able to pick a favorite thing on being a Libra. (Consider this detour 2.)
Though I feel like I'm missing a piece of my identity by not having favorite meal, I at least know that I have numerous favorite foods and many things that I love. On that list are tacos and brunch, to name a few.
No, we're not having brunch tacos today (though that's a really good idea...mental note). But, this was just the really long way of telling you that today's recipe is all about brunch! (Let's just call this whole post detour 3.)
We're making personal Monte Cristo Breakfast Pizzas today! This is not exactly the prettiest dish in the world, but by jove it certainly is the most delicious.
So, a Monte Cristo is like a French ham and cheese sandwich. It's dipped in an egg batter (kinda like french toast), fried up in a skillet with some butter, then dusted with powdered sugar. It's also usually served with a fruit jam on the side (oftentimes it's raspberry jam).
Well guys, hold your horses, because I'm taking the Monte Cristo to the next level today.
We're starting with mini naan flatbreads so everyone can have their own. (You're not going to want to share this.) We brush the bread with a thin layer of salted honey butter. Whoa! Then, we spread some strawberry preserves on top of the bread. (I'm not a huge raspberry fan, so I switched it up and went with strawberry. But, this is flexible, so use whatever jam you like!) Are you drooling yet? Keep reading...
The next layer is a combo of deli lunch meat: ham and black pepper turkey. On top of that, we finish with some shredded gruyere cheese before popping it in the oven to get all bubbly and gooey.
But we're still not done. We're taking it one step further by throwing an egg fried in more salted honey butter on top. I KNOW!
The finishing touch is a dusting of powdered sugar, and you're ready to enter the realms of heaven. At least, heaven on Earth.
I think I've just talked myself in to calling this my favorite brunch. The jury is still out on favorite food of all time (and will probably never return).
If you're still with me after reading this totally random collection of thoughts today, then you have more than earned yourselves a Monte Cristo Breakfast Pizza. With a peach and champagne spritzer on the side. Because...French theme and all.
So, let's get to brunchin', and let's eat!
Monte Cristo Breakfast Pizza Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
4 mini naan flatbreads
½ stick (4 tbsp) salted butter, melted
1 tbsp honey
¼ cup strawberry preserves
3 oz sliced black pepper deli turkey (about 9-10 slices), diced
3 oz sliced deli ham (about 9-10 slices), diced
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese (or swiss cheese)
4 eggs
cooking spray
powdered sugar
salt and pepper to taste (if desired)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray it with cooking spray. Brush bottom side of naan (bubbly side) with water. Place bread bottom side down on the tray.
In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter and honey until fully combined. Brush the top side (the flat side) of the naan bread with honey butter. Stir strawberry preserves to loosen it up. Spread 1 tbsp of preserves over the top side of each bread (like a pizza sauce), leaving an 1/8 inch border. Top jam with diced ham and turkey. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining honey butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Crack eggs in to the skillet, being careful not to break the yolks. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the whites have set. Place 1 egg on top of each pizza when the pizzas come out of the oven. Season egg with salt and pepper, if desired. Dust pizzas with powdered sugar. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*Since we fry the eggs in honey butter, the eggs actually don't need to be seasoned with salt and pepper. You can if you want, but you're really not missing anything if you don't.
*I love make ahead meals; so to make this ahead of time, prepare up until the step of frying the egg. Wrap the pizzas individually in foil, and store in the fridge. When you're ready to reheat, place the pizzas back in the oven at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes to reheat. Then, fry up an egg, and place it on top.
*There's a lot of sweetness in this pizza, so don't use a honey or sweet flavored ham or turkey. We need the salty peppery contrast from the deli meat.
*Use a small sieve or even a tea ball to dust the powdered sugar over the pizza.
*You could certainly use raspberry preserves, if you prefer.
