Croquettes de Crosnes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-inch (20 cm) shallow dish
• •4-quart heavy saucepan for frying
• •Deep-frying thermometer
• •Wire skimmer or spider
• •Wire rack set over a tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the crosnes

   Bring the water and 1 tablespoon of the salt to a lively boil. Add the scrubbed crosnes and cook for 6 to 9 minutes, depending on their size, until a knife enters with slight resistance. They must be tender enough to eat but still somewhat firm, because they cook no further except for their brief time in the fat. Drain them thoroughly, spread them on a clean towel, and leave them for 5 minutes so every trace of surface water disappears.

   Do not peel crosnes. Their thin skin and curious rings are part of the vegetable; scrub carefully around every groove and leave them whole.
2. 2

   Check the Allemande

   Warm the prepared, very reduced Sauce Allemande over the gentlest heat, stirring constantly. Draw the spatula across the pan floor: the groove must remain open for a moment, and the sauce should fall heavily rather than pour. If it runs, keep reducing gently before the crosnes go in. Do not let it boil. The scant 1/2 cup is the original proportion of one-fifth imperial pint of sauce per pound of crosnes, converted to a home measure without changing the binding.

3. 3

   Bind and spread

   Fold the drained crosnes carefully through the Sauce Allemande until every piece is thickly coated, keeping the tubers whole. Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) shallow dish, spread the mixture in an even layer about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick, and press a piece of buttered parchment directly against the surface. The sauce should hold the crosnes together without pooling around them.

4. 4

   Chill until firm

   Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours, until thoroughly cold and firm enough to cut with clean edges. If it still slumps when pressed, return it to the cold rather than stirring breadcrumbs into the filling. For a final nudge, give it 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer, but do not let it freeze solid. The hard chill is the structure of the croquette.

5. 5

   Shape and crumb

   Turn the cold mixture onto a board and divide it into ten portions of about 2 ounces (55 to 60 g) each. With cool, lightly buttered hands, press each portion into a compact ball. Dip each ball completely in beaten egg, let the excess fall away, then roll it in the fine breadcrumbs and press gently so no bare patch remains. Set the crumbed croquettes on a tray and chill for another 30 minutes. If one softens or loses its shape, stop and return the tray to the refrigerator.

6. 6

   Fry the parsley

   Pour the oil into a deep, heavy saucepan with ample room above it and heat to 350°F (175°C). Make certain the parsley is completely dry, then lower it into the fat with a wire skimmer. It will bubble fiercely for a few seconds. Lift it out as soon as the bubbling subsides and the leaves are crisp but still vividly green, then drain it on a rack over paper. Wet parsley makes hot fat spit, so this is no place for optimism.

7. 7

   Fry and serve

   Raise the oil to 355°F (180°C). Begin no more than 5 or 6 minutes before serving. Fry the croquettes in two batches for 2 to 3 minutes, turning gently, until evenly deep gold. If one splits, lift it out at once, chill the remaining croquettes harder, and let the oil return fully to temperature before continuing. Ça se rattrape. Drain on a wire rack, season moderately with the reserved salt, and arrange on a warm platter with the fried parsley. À table!

   Crowding drops the oil temperature and lets the coating drink fat before it can set. Give every croquette room and wait for the thermometer to recover between batches.

Chef Tips

• •Crosnes are a cool-weather crop and are often sold only through good produce markets or specialist growers. Choose pale, firm tubers without dark, softened ends. This dish truly needs crosnes; Jerusalem artichokes or water chestnuts would make another croquette, not this one.
• •The Sauce Allemande must already be finished and very reduced before measuring. A loose sauce cannot hold the crosnes through shaping and frying, and extra crumbs stirred into the center would change the book's method rather than repair it.
• •Use dry breadcrumbs ground and sifted almost to powder. Coarse crumbs leave gaps around the knobbled filling; fine crumbs make the close, even shell that keeps the sauce inside.
• •Serve the croquettes beside roast poultry, veal, or a simply cooked game bird. A dry white Burgundy has enough freshness for the fried crust and enough body for the Allemande.

Advance Preparation

• •The bound crosne mixture can be spread, covered, and refrigerated a day ahead. Its firmer texture will make shaping easier.
• •The croquettes can be shaped and crumbed up to 8 hours ahead. Keep them uncovered in the refrigerator for the first hour so the crumb dries, then cover loosely.
• •Fry only at serving time. A reheated croquette loses the clean contrast between its crisp shell and soft Allemande-bound center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)