Who does not like croquettes. Those of the grandmother, those of his mother or those of the neighbor. But how should a good croquette be? 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 foolproof recipes that will work wonders for you.

The base of good croquettes is a good white sauce 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 crispy batter. I discovered it by chance one day when the croquettes were too liquid for me and since then I have incorporated it in 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 We brought the croquettes from our French neighbors, a country where they began to be originally made in the 17th century from a dough based on meat, egg, truffle and herbs, with which balls were formed that were breaded and fried in oil. abundant. Later during the 18th century, when bechamel was invented, French cooks used it as a base for croquettes.

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

There are many croquette proportions, versions and elaborations, 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 just 1 minute, otherwise it may take on an unwanted flavor.
• I form the croquettes with the croquetera
• For an extra crispy batter, I breadcrumb first with breadcrumbs, egg and then breadcrumb again.

Tongs for croquettes La Croquetera

 Ingredients

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

Elaboration

1. Prepare the Bechame l. In a frying pan , fry the chopped onion together with the butter until it is transparent and takes on a little colour. 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 paddle over low heat so that it browns.
2. Then add the milk, salt and nutmeg and stir with the rods until the dough comes off the walls of the pan. This can take between 40 minutes and an hour.
3. Repose. After cooking, dump the dough into a rectangular tray and cover with transparent film to prevent the surface of the croquettes from drying out. Leave overnight to rest in the fridge.
4. Shape and roll. 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. frying Fry at 175ºC in abundant oil in a high iron skillet or the De Buyer fryer . To check it we will use a kitchen thermometer or we can introduce a wooden skewer and observe the bubbles. At 160º C bubbles begin to come out slowly and when they are larger and accelerate their appearance, the optimum temperature will have been reached. Fry the croquettes at a temperature as constant 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