The Various Degrees of Heat Reached by the Frying Medium, and their Application

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 5 to 6-quart pot with a close-fitting lid
• •Clip-on deep-fry or candy thermometer
• •Wire skimmer or spider
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed sheet pan
• •Three shallow dishes for coating

Instructions

1. 1

   Coat the croquettes

   Put ½ cup of the flour in a shallow dish and reserve the rest for the fish. Set the finished Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) in a second dish and the breadcrumbs in a third. Roll each cold croquette lightly in flour, pass it completely through the Anglaise, then press it into the crumbs. Chill the coated croquettes for 15 minutes. If you see a bare patch or crack, cover it now with a little more Anglaise and crumbs; the crust must be continuous before it meets the fat.

   Keep one hand for the flour and crumbs and the other for the Anglaise. The coating stays even, and you won't bread your own fingers.
2. 2

   Dry every surface

   Rinse the potato batons under cold water until the water runs nearly clear, then drain and dry them with towels until no moisture remains. Dry the whitebait just as carefully and keep it cold. Water cools the fat and makes it spit; a dry surface gives the heat direct access to the food.

3. 3

   Set the frying station

   Pour the oil into a heavy 5 to 6-quart pot, making certain the pot is no more than half full, and clip the thermometer where its tip sits in the oil without touching the bottom. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan and keep a heavy lid within reach. Heat the oil gradually to 280°F / 138°C. Fat never boils, and smoke is not a target; the thermometer tells you which work the fat is ready to do.

   If the oil ever ignites, turn off the heat and cover the pot with its lid. Never carry the pot and never put water on burning fat.
4. 4

   Cook at moderate heat

   Lower half the potatoes into the oil at 280°F / 138°C and fry for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring gently, until the batons are tender and flexible with little or no colour. Lift them to the rack and repeat with the remaining potatoes, allowing the oil to recover before the second batch. This moderate heat is a preparatory cooking: it drives out vegetable water and cooks by penetration. If the potatoes colour quickly, the oil is too hot; lift them out, lower the heat, and resume when the thermometer returns to 280°F. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Apply the hot stage

   Raise the oil to 320°F / 160°C. Return the potatoes in two batches and fry for 4 to 6 minutes, until the surfaces turn crisp and evenly golden. The first heat cooked the centres; this hot second stage finishes them and sets the outside. Drain on the rack and season immediately with some of the salt. If a crowded batch comes out soft, let the oil recover fully and give those potatoes one more short frying before seasoning.

6. 6

   Set the croquettes

   Raise the oil to 355°F / 179°C. Fry the croquettes four at a time for 1½ to 2½ minutes, turning once, until their Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) coating is firm and deep gold. The filling is already cooked, so the work here is instantaneous setting and reheating. If the first croquette leaks, remove it at once and skim out the escaped crumbs; patch or double-coat any thin places on the remaining croquettes, then wait for the fat to return to 355°F before continuing.

   Small, cold croquettes give the crust time to set before the filling softens. Large or frozen ones brown outside while remaining cold within.
7. 7

   Finish with whitebait

   Season the reserved flour with the white pepper, toss the dry whitebait through it, and shake away every excess. With the oil steady at 355°F / 179°C, fry the fish in two loose batches for 1½ to 2 minutes, until curled, crisp, and lightly golden. Drain, salt at once, and bring all three applications to the table together. If a batch turns limp because the temperature fell, return the cooked fish to fully recovered oil for 15 seconds. Very small food needs a sharp setting, not a long bath. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source gives coated foods a place at hot heat, while its Anglaise cross-reference calls for very hot fat. For these small chilled croquettes, 355°F / 179°C is the sound choice: the shell sets before the filling loosens.
• •We don't apologize for butter, but whole butter is the wrong frying medium here. Its milk solids scorch before this sequence is complete; keep it for meunière and use a purified, high-smoke-point fat for deep frying.
• •Never wait for visible smoke. If the oil smokes, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool below its limit before deciding whether it still smells clean enough to use.
• •Fry the whitebait last so its flavour doesn't enter the potatoes or croquettes. Once cool, strain the oil through a fine filter; keep it only if it remains pale and smells clean.
• •If whitebait is unavailable, use the smallest whole smelt your fishmonger carries. The fish must be tiny enough to cook through during the brief very-hot frying.

Advance Preparation

• •The croquettes can be coated with the Anglaise preparation up to 8 hours ahead and kept chilled. Arrange them in one layer so the crumb coating stays dry and complete.
• •The potatoes can receive their first moderate frying up to 2 hours ahead. Cool them uncovered on a rack, then finish at 320°F / 160°C shortly before serving.
• •Cut potatoes may be held under cold water for up to 4 hours, but they must be drained and dried completely before approaching the frying pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 255g)