I've been working on Croquettes and I still don't get it. There are a good number of things too keep in mind for making them right. However, my last batch was a mess, again.
I'd like to pose a wiki like question on how to make the most awesome Meat-Velouté-Croquettes.
1- Broth. Take a knee-bone, knuckle meat, carrots, leek, celery, laurel, … cover with cold water, bring to a soft boil and simmer for about two hours.
2- Make a Roux. Melt butter, stir in flour, let the mix simmer for a couple of minutes.
3- Mix the broth in with the roux and let that simmer for some time.
4- Taste. Cool.
5- Make Croquette rolls, pass them through flour, egg and breadcrumbs.
6- Cool or freeze.
7- Fry.
My problem was that I mixed too much broth with the roux. So, I mixed more roux and put that in with the Croquette mix. Then I mixed some more roux… After the cooling, it was impossible to make the croquette rolls. The mass would not roll, but kind of tear apart. Like the structure was too strong to establish new connections.
My wife thinks I should have left the mix simmer for longer than I did. Any suggestions?
Edit – I think the problem is in step 3. Now I just let it simmer until the mass gets 'cohesive'. After the cooling, shaping is not a problem any more.
Best Answer
How did you cool it?
Once it's reached room temperature, you should be able to put it in some cling film, parchment, or similar, and roll the whole thing into a log; from there, freeze it or at the very least put it in the fridge to chill.
You can then cut into the sized bits you want and bread them, then either chill or freeze for later, or fry after a couple of minutes rest for the breading to adhere well.
... and could you further describe the 'tearing' ? The only similar thing I can think of is if you add too much cornstarch to a soluton, it's possible to 'tear' it, but it'll immediately ooze again once you let it sit still.