Shaping

The standard shapes for croquettes are the cylinder, the cone, and the cutlet, though as many other forms may be made as the ingenuity of the cook can devise. It is a question whether apples, chickens, etc., are desirable forms in 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 is about the right quantity for each one. The hands may be dampened with water or milk to prevent the mixture sticking, or fine crumbs may be dusted over board and hands as flour is used with dough. If for any reason the mixture is too soft to handle, a very little cracker dust may be stirred into it.

First roll the spoonful into a round ball, then put on the board with a few crumbs, and gently roll till a cylinder shape is secured, or tip the hand so that one end receives more pressure to get the cone shape. Then lightly lift in the hand and flatten first one end and then the other on the board. For the cutlets 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 in beaten egg, drain and roll over in the crumbs. The whole egg or the whites only are used for crumbing. When beaten too little the egg slips off the croquette, leaving part of the surface bare; if beaten too much, air bubbles 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.

If not convenient to fry, after egging and crumbing, roll over in melted butter and bake in the oven under a gas flame. The egg in the mixture is desirable when the croquettes are to be cooked in this way as it helps keep them in shape, for the crust is not quite so firm as when they are fried.

A white, brown, or tomato sauce may be made thick and used for croquettes. Gravy left over with meat can be utilized by adding more flour and cooking thoroughly, or by the use of some cracker dust in mixing the croquettes.

Frying

The fat may be a mixture of several kinds or one alone. It should be hot enough to brown the croquettes in about one minute. To test it drop in a bit of white bread-crumbs, which should become brown in half a minute. Lift the frying basket with a long fork, and have a tin plate to set it 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 under the fat all the time. When brown, lift the basket, drain over the fat, and then on soft paper. If they are lifted out and put back again, or are in the fat too long, or are not evenly crumbed, or are too large there will be a tendency to break open.

Garnishes for croquettes are varied: the lobster claw, the paper decoration, parsley, fresh or fried, and many others.

If sauce is to accompany croquettes, it should not be allowed to spoil the crispness and, therefore, better be served in a separate dish.