How to make good ham croquettes?

Who does not like croquettes. Grandma's, her mother's or the neighbor's. But what should a good croquette be like? Crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside; There are many fillings but the Serrano Ham croquettes are a classic. This is one of those infallible recipes that will work wonders for you.

The base of some good croquettes is a good béchamel and a good batter , and with this recipe you will learn how to make them and you will know the trick that I use if you want an extra crunchy batter. I discovered it by chance one day when the croquettes were too liquid and since then I have incorporated it into all the recipes.

Do you know where the term “croquette” comes from? It comes from the French verb croquer which means to crunch, to which croquette is "very crunchy". We brought the croquettes from our French neighbors, a country where they originally began to be made in the 17th century from a meat-based dough, truffle egg and herbs, with which balls were formed that were breaded and fried in oil. abundant. Later in the 18th century, when béchamel was invented, French cooks used it as a base for croquettes.

At the beginning of the 19th century there is already evidence that the croquettes had arrived in Spain since they were served during a dinner served to the English troops during the war of independence. They came to stay just as they are, and since then they have been made with roast chicken, ham or cod, the most classic and lately we find them with oxtail, squid in ink or sobrasada.

There are many proportions, versions and preparations of croquettes, although I will tell you my basic tricks :

• I make an onion sauce
• You can add the ham at the end of cooking the onion or when you add the milk. If you choose the first option, let the ham fry for only 1 minute, otherwise it may take on an unwanted flavor.
• I form the croquettes with the croquette maker
• For an extra crispy batter, I first coat in breadcrumbs, then dip in the egg and again in the breadcrumbs.

Croquette tongs La Croquetera

Ingredients

• 1 liter of milk
• 110g flour
• 110g butter
• 150g ham
• 1 egg
• Bread crumbs
• Salt
• Nutmeg

Elaboration

1. Prepare the Béchame l. In a frying pan , fry the chopped onion together with the butter until it is transparent and takes on a little color. Reduce the heat and add the ham, leave for 30 seconds so that it leaves a little flavor. Next, add the flour and stir for 2 minutes with a wooden spatula over low heat so that it toasts.
2. Then add the milk, salt and nutmeg and stir with the whisk until the dough detaches from the sides of the pan. This can take between 40 minutes and an hour.
3. Repose. Once cooking is over, dump the dough into a rectangular tray and cover with transparent film to prevent the surface of the croquettes from drying out. Let rest overnight in the fridge.
4. Shape and coat. Take the dough out of the fridge. prepare a bowl with beaten egg and a plate with breadcrumbs. Shape the croquettes with the croquette maker . Go through breadcrumbs, egg and again through breadcrumbs. You can fry immediately or freeze a part.
5. Fry . Fry at 175ºC in abundant oil in a tall iron skillet or De Buyer deep fryer . To check it we will use a kitchen thermometer or we can introduce a wooden skewer and observe the bubbles. At 160ºC bubbles begin to emerge slowly and when they are larger and speed up their appearance, the optimum temperature will have been reached. Fry the croquettes at as constant a temperature as possible and once fried, drain the excess fat on absorbent paper.

La Croquetera tray set , La Croquetera croquette tongs and Laura Ashley porcelain tray