Monte Cristo with Strawberry Habanero Jam

I was long on strawberries this weekend and I was looking for something other than dessert.  Monte Cristo with Strawberry Habanero Jam jumped off the page.  I fondly remember eating my first Monte Cristo at the Chespeake Cheers, which unfortunately is not there anymore. Jeff Mauro is the new Food Network Star and started his new show "Sandwich King", so I was interested in trying out his recipe.

My husband and son were at the pool and I knew they would work up an appetite.  I began work on the strawberry habanero jam.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a candy thermometer that works properly so I had to just eye ball it.  Typically you pull the jam off the heat when it hits 200 degrees.  (Note: any readers that have recommendations for a precise candy thermometer please add a comment I would love to hear from you.)  The jam takes a long time (about an hour) to cool to get the right texture so this is not something you can make right before serving.  It also makes a ton, so I would plan on maybe giving some away as gifts or finding another use for it.  In my opinion, the strawberry habanero jam needs one more chile to give it a little more kick.  I think the one chile gets a bit lost in the sweetness. 

I didn't have all of the ingredients for the sandwich filling but figured I could be flexible.  I used smoked ham and cheddar cheese, which worked out fine.  My kids love "hearty white" bread from Pepperidge Farm so I used that for the sandwich.  The bread was way too soft and not thick enough.  It sucked up the custard, and when I put it on the griddle it didn't get as crisp as I would have liked.  The sandwich was a bit softer than I would have preferred, so I think that having texas toast or something very similar is a must.  We enjoyed the idea of the sandwich but I really need to work on finding the best bread to tighten up the technique. As my friend Amanda would laugh and tell me "why don't you just bake the bread next time?".  She is probably right, and I most likely will.