Cheese croquettes

How to make cheese croquettes .

It may come as a surprise to many to know that the origin of the croquettes is not Spanish but French.

The word croquette comes from the French voice croquer (crunch) and its diminutive croquette. The first written document that is known where this culinary technique is named, is in 1691, where the cook of the then King Luis XIV, leaves the recipe in writing and for posterity.

They were truffle croquettes, sweetbreads and cream cheese, a delight indeed.

On the blog we have a wide variety of croquettes in our  appetizer recipes , perfect as a first or even as a yummy dinner. With all this sample of croquettes we can almost say that we have improved the French recipe.

It is a dish that the Spanish have known how to take far beyond that of a simple use recipe. Transforming into a culinary cult in our country.

The ingredients are as varied as dishes that can be prepared in the kitchen, from them combining them with a good béchamel sauce , we can form croquettes of all kinds of sizes and shapes.

A quintessential French croquettes recipe, cheese croquettes , in this case roquefort. We will have to try the proportion of cheese that best suits our taste.

As I am a fan of cheese, these are some of my favorite croquettes , for the simplicity of preparing them and for the flavor and final textures, very good.

Preparation of the dough for cheese croquettes

1. In a wide skillet or saucepan, heat the butter until it has melted.
2. Add the flour and, with the help of some rods, stir until we see that it has been integrated with all the butter fat. Without stopping stirring and, over medium heat, cook the flour for 1 or 2 minutes.
3. We are incorporating the milk to the casserole, first in small quantities, integrating it well with the flour before adding more. This step of adding milk little by little. It is essential since this will ensure that the cream will not have lumps.
4. Without stopping stirring, we integrate all the milk and season to taste.
5. We continue cooking the sauce, at medium low temperature, for about 5 minutes, without stopping stirring.
6. Add the crumbled cheese and continue stirring until it has dissolved in the cream. We turn off the heat and let the sauce temper slightly before adding the egg.
7. We incorporate the egg and mix well so that it is integrated into the sauce. We return to the fire at medium / low temperature for a few minutes so that the already mixed egg cooks without curdling.
8. We remove the cream from the fire and pour it into a source.
9. Let the mixture cool down and cover it with transparent paper.
10. We keep the cream in the fridge, it will be best if we leave it overnight, so that it solidifies. This way it will be more manageable to prepare the croquettes.

Battering, frying and final presentation of the cheese croquettes

1. With the cream already cold we prepare 3 bowls with flour, egg and breadcrumbs, respectively.
2. We form the croquettes with our hands, giving them the shape that we like the most, the more traditional oval and elongated, or round ones as I have done this time.
3. We pass the balls by flour, egg and breadcrumbs, in this order and we reserve them until we have them all ready.
4. At this point we can do two things. Fry them to enjoy them at the moment or freeze them to be able to do it when we want.
5. They support freezing perfectly. We will only have to remove them from the fridge and put them directly to fry. Without defrosting, with the oil very hot, when we want to prepare them.
6. In a high-walled saucepan, heat plenty of soft oil for frying. We are frying the croquettes over high heat, regulating the temperature to avoid burning.
7. We remove to a plate with absorbent paper, to remove excess oil. We serve directly, freshly made.
8. They are perfect as an aperitif for any family lunch or dinner, do not stop preparing them if you like this cheese, you will love them.

You can see all the step by step photos of the cheese croquettes recipe in this album. Do not miss any detail and they will be perfect.

Tips for perfect cheese croquettes

• When we remove the cream from the fire and pour it into a source. It is best to let the mixture cool down and cover it with transparent paper.
• Store the cream in the fridge, the best thing is that we leave it overnight, so that it solidifies, so it will be more manageable to prepare the croquettes.
• To freeze kibbles, place them in a dish (without heaping, we put them in the freezer and after 12 hours and they are like stones, separate them and keep them in a clean and closed plastic bag.
• To fry them it is not necessary to defrost them. Fry in very hot oil in 2 minutes, moving the pan back and forth to avoid having to touch them.
• Choose your favorite cheese. The one in this recipe is creamy in texture and strong in flavor. That is why I advise you to be moderate with the amount you add to the croquettes, lest we overdo it and leave us with a somewhat excessive flavor.
• We must beat the eggs very well, shake it for a few minutes with the rods or a fork. It is essential that you do not have parts of the white without beating well. Since they would stick to the croquette and fall to the breadcrumbs when the croquettes were coated. We want a perfect batter.
• If you do not want the bottom of the croquette to be slightly crisp. It is best to prepare them round and of a smaller size. Also if at the end of frying you use a large strainer to support the croquettes on the plate.
• This way we avoid that the fat that they release can end up softening them on the side that they rest on the absorbent paper.