Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-09-30
CROOueTTES.

SNSSSOG tSSs
From the derivation Of the word q
croquette should be something crisp or
cracking. To buy fresh food for this
purpose is waste of time, but many
left-overs thus may be made into a saw
DRY entree. CrOquettes may be made
from any food material and formed in
any shape. The crisp, brown outside IL
attained by rolling in egg and crumbs
and frying in deep fat. That process Is
common to all croquettes, and though
the varieties are many, all may be group
cd under two heads, those having a basis
of white sauce, and those which have
not. Croquettes of the first class are
made of meat or fish cooked tender and
minced fine. while the sauce is double
the usual thickness. Others are made of
vegetables, and egg is generally used to
hold them in shape.
These classes may unite in one, as in
fish balls, in which sometimes creamed
salt fish is combined with potato and
egg, or in macaroni croquettes.
The difficulty some cooks experience
in making croquettes is due chiefly to
the variability of materials, especially in
the amount of moisture. 1t is practi-
cally impossible to cover this by any
recipe. The way in which meat or
vegetables are cooked, drained, and
chopped or mashed makes difference
in the amount of moisture needed to
shape them into croquettes. The tenn
perature at which the croquettes are
handled is another important point.
The ideal croquette should be soft and
creamy inside when served, and yet keep
it's shape, and be crisp and brown out
side. 1t is not necessary to use one kind
of meat, fish or vegetable, often two or
three are combined. Chicken and veal,
or either, or both, with brains, sweet
breads, mushrooms, or oysters are often
found in one recipe.
Equal quantities Of meat and sauce, or
more of either one, may be used. When
the meat or fish is moist Canned salmon,
for example), the sauce should be a trifie
thicker than when baked fish or roast
chicken is used. When the meat is
chopped fine more sauce may be used
than if it were cut in small cubes. A
meat chopper shortens the preparation.
Meat becomes pasty when chopped while
hot.
The proportions for the foundation OF
a sauce for crOquettes are these: One
fourth cup each of butter and flour fol
each cup of milk or stock. The butter
may be reduced slightly for any oily
meat or fish.
A brown or tomato sauce may be
made thick and used for crOquettes.
Gravy left over with meat can be utiliz-
ed by adding more flour and cooking
thoroughly, or by the use of some
cracker dust in mixing the croquettes.
So much depends upon the seasoning
already given the meat that no recipe
can be followed implicitly. Frequent
tasting should be the rule. Celery salt
goes we'll with veal and chicken, lemon
juice with fish, mustard with ham and
sometimes with fish, cheese with maca.
roni and rice, and suspicion of onion
with almost everything. Tasteless meat,
even that from which bouillon has been
made, can be transformed into savory
croquettes with a tomato sauce and a
flavor of onion. Though the flavor may
have been taken for the soup, much OF
the nutriment remains in the meat.
After meat, sauce, and seasoning are
thoroughly mixed, the whole is to be
spread to cool in shallow pans, which
have been creased or lightly sprinkled
with fine crumbs. 1t should be thor
oughly chilled, and may be made one
day and fried the next. A piece OF
paraffin paper placed on top of the mkt
ure while it is cooling prevents the
formation of skin-like crust.
The second class, vegetable croquettes
includes all such as potato, parsnips
beans, chestnuts, etc. The cooked vege
table is mashed, seasoned, and with it is
mixed beaten egg or the yolk only
These croquettes are usually shaped
while warm, since they hold together
better, and are less liable to crack while
frying.
The standard shapes for croquettes are
the cylinder, the cone, and the outlet
though as many other forms may bt
made as the ingenuity of the cook car
devise. 1t is question whether apples
chickens, etc., are desirable forms II
which to serve such compounds.
The first step is to divide the mixture
into the desired number of portions
making them uniform in size, a rounded
tablespoonful being about the right
quantity for each one. The hands may
be dampened with water or milk to KEEP
the mixture from sticking, or fine
crumbs may be busted over board ant
hands as flour is used with dough. Il
for any reason the mixture is too soft t.
handle. a very little cracker dust may bt
stirred into it.
First roll the spoonful into a round
ball, then put on the board with few
crumbs, and gently roll till cylinder
shape is secured, or tip the hand so thai
one end receives more pressure to get
the cone shape. Then lightly lift in the
hand and fiatten first one end and ther
the other on the board. For the outlets
or chop shape flatten the ball and curve
and point one end.
When all are ready put more crumbs
on the board, dip each croquette II
beaten egg, drain and roll over in the
crumbs. The whole egg or the whites
only are used for crumbing. Wher
beaten too little the egg slips off the
croquette, leaving part of the surface
UCdUcu IOO OuOOiOs
break with like effect. With each egg
one or two tablespoons of milk or water
should be mixed. A palate knife may
be used to roll the croquette over in the
egg till all parts are coated. The crumbs
may be either bread or cracker, but the
former are to be preferred, as they brown
better in the frying, and do not have the
greasy look common when cracker
crumbs are used.
Ragged bits of the soft crumb of bread
and all of the crust may be dried, rolled
and sifted for crumbing croquettes.
If not convenient to fry, after eggine
and crumbing roll over in melted butter
and bake in the oven under gas flame
The egg in the mixture is desirable wher
the croquettes are to be cooked in this
way, as it helps keep them in shape, fol
the crust is not quite SO firm as wher
they are fried.
For frying the fat may be mixture
of several kinds or one kind alone. II
should be hot enough to brown the GRO
quettes in about one minute. To test il
drop in a bit of white bread crumb
which should become brown in half 8
minute. Lift the frying basket with 6
long fork, and have tin plate to set II
in when taken from the fat. Dip the
basket in the fat and put in only from
three to five croquettes at once, as more
will cool the fat too much. Keep them