A croquette is simply a mixture of finely chopped meat, seafood, cheese, or vegetables (or any combination), combined with enough white sauce to bind it, that is then shaped, rolled in fine bread crumbs and either baked or fried. Croquettes can be made quite small, say the size of your thumb and served as appetizers. Or they can be made larger and served as an entree. Traditionally, they are usually cone shaped, although I find them easier to manage if they are about the size of a crab cake. They can be the centerpiece of a composed salad (see earlier post). They're delicious plain, but are happy to share the plate with a sauce.
I particularly like to make croquettes when I've run out of different things to do with large amounts of leftover meat like ham and turkey.
One tool that is essential for making good croquettes is something that will finely chop or grind your ingredients. My KitchenAid has a grinder attachment which is perfect for grinding ham, chicken, etc. A good food chopper or processor works well too. The idea is that the mixture be fairly smooth.
Also essential is knowing how to make a white sauce. You could probably get away with using a jarred sauce (like Alfredo), although I've never tried it because white sauce is so easy to make.
Look for a future post with a complete croquette recipe (hopefully later today).
No comments:
Post a Comment