Disney’s Counter of Monte Cristos

Alfred Boll likes the perks of his current job as Disneyland’s executive chef a lot better than the one he had in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1980. In Liberia, he said, he got to cater to officials of the national government, but all that ended when the government was overthrown and Boll--seen as a kind of fringe accomplice--was chucked into jail.

“My embassy bailed me out the next morning,” said the 39-year-old Swiss-born Boll, “but it was a really horrible night.”

His current gig, however, “is much different than anything else I’ve done. For one thing, it never allows me to grow up. My kids definitely want me to keep the job.”

Boll, trained at hotel school in Lucerne and apprenticed to chefs at a handful of major European hotels, has traveled the globe with a skillet in his hand. In addition to those in Europe and Liberia, he has worked for hotels in Kenya, Lesotho, the West Indies, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Chicago and San Diego before coming to Disneyland last year.

He’s responsible for culinary service throughout the park, but the most sophisticated menu has traditionally been reserved for the Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans Square. There, the restaurant’s Monte Cristo sandwich probably has been the most recognizable--and demanded--item on the menu since it first appeared in 1966.

“It hasn’t changed since then,” said Boll, “and it’s become a standard. It’s a very, very popular item. We serve about 160 to 200 of them every day. When the first one of the day comes out, everybody who sees it wants to order one. It comes close to the croque monsieur that originated in France.”

The sandwich is fried in batter, but, Boll said, that doesn’t mean it has to be greasy. The trick to eliminating grease from the final product is to make sure the oil reaches a full 360 degrees.

MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/3 cups water

1 egg, beaten

1 ounce sliced white meat of turkey

1 ounce sliced Swiss cheese

1 ounce sliced ham

2 slices white bread

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add water to beaten egg. Add to flour mixture and mix well. Set aside. Make sandwich using first turkey, then cheese, then ham. Cut sandwich into quarters using toothpicks to hold sandwich together. Dip sandwich in egg batter and fry in 360-degree oil until golden brown. Remove toothpicks and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with raspberry jelly.

Jelly

1 cup apple jelly

1 cup raspberry jam

1 cup half-and-half

Combine in blender jelly and jam. Blend at slow speed. Add half-and-half. Blend at high speed.