Hard-boiled Eggs in Croquettes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy saucepan for the Béchamel
• •Wide frying pan for the mushrooms
• •Rimmed tray approximately 23 by 33 cm
• •Kitchen scale for portioning
• •Three shallow breading dishes
• •Heavy 3-quart or larger pot for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire spider or slotted spoon
• •Wire draining rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook and cool eggs

   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and lower in the eggs with a spoon. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook for 10 minutes, then transfer them directly to iced water. Leave them for 10 minutes, peel, and chill until cold throughout. Cut both whites and yolks into neat 5 mm dice. Keep the knife moving straight down instead of dragging it through the yolks; the filling should show pieces of egg, not become a paste.

2. 2

   Reduce the Béchamel

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the ¼ cup (60 ml / 30 g) flour and cook this roux blanc, a white roux, for 2 minutes without letting it color. Gradually whisk in 1¼ cups (300 ml / 310 g) of the warm milk. Bring it to the gentlest bubbling simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring into every corner, until the Béchamel is thick enough to hold a furrow left by the spatula. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt, half the white pepper, and the nutmeg. If it forms lumps, take it off the heat, whisk firmly, and pass it through a fine sieve if necessary. Measure a scant ⅔ cup (140 ml / about 145 g) for the croquettes, then cover the remaining Béchamel directly on its surface and reserve it for the sauce crème.

3. 3

   Cook the mushrooms

   Melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, until they release their water, the pan becomes dry again, and their edges only begin to color. The cooked mushrooms must not carry loose liquid into the filling. Measure 1 cup (240 ml / 140 g) of cooked mushroom dice and let it cool; save any small excess for another supper.

4. 4

   Bind the filling

   Combine the diced eggs, 1 cup (240 ml / 140 g) cooked mushrooms, and ¼ cup (60 ml / 28 g) diced truffle in a broad bowl. Fold in the scant ⅔ cup (140 ml / about 145 g) reduced Béchamel while it is warm and supple but no longer bubbling. Season with another ½ teaspoon salt and the remaining white pepper. Fold only until everything is evenly bound; the Béchamel should cling tightly around the dice rather than pool beneath them. Spread the mixture about 1.5 cm thick on a parchment-lined tray and press another sheet of parchment directly onto the surface.

5. 5

   Chill until firm

   Let the tray stand only until it is no longer hot, about 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. The mixture is ready when it feels firm at the center and a spoonful can be lifted without slumping. If it remains soft, do not stiffen it with breadcrumbs, which would change the filling. Ça se rattrape: place the tray in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, just until firm enough to shape.

   A cool surface can hide a soft center. Press through to the middle before shaping, because deep chilling is what keeps the Béchamel inside the crust.
6. 6

   Shape the croquettes

   Divide the cold filling into 10 portions of about 2 ounces (55 to 60 g) each. Dust a board and your hands very lightly with some of the coating flour. Roll each portion first into a compact ball, then taper both ends between your palms to make a small egg shape. Close every crack with a pinch of cold filling. If the croquettes begin sticking or softening, return them to the refrigerator for 15 minutes before continuing.

7. 7

   Paner à l’anglaise

   Arrange three shallow dishes containing the ½ cup (120 ml / 60 g) coating flour, the finished Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and the fine fresh breadcrumbs. Roll each croquette in flour and tap off the excess, coat it completely in the Anglaise, then roll it in crumbs. Use the crumbs and your palms to finish the egg shape. Inspect every croquette for bald spots or seams, patching them with a dab of Anglaise and more crumbs, then refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes so the coating sets.

   The flour, Anglaise, and fine crumb are structural, not decorative. A complete coat solidifies as soon as it touches the hot fat and holds the soft Béchamel filling inside.
8. 8

   Finish the sauce crème

   Whisk the reserved Béchamel with the heavy cream over low heat and simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce reaches nappe and coats the back of a spoon in an even veil. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter. Taste for salt. If it tightens while waiting, loosen it with the reserved warm milk, one tablespoon at a time. Keep it warm without boiling and pour it into a warmed sauceboat just before serving.

9. 9

   Fry the parsley

   Pour the frying oil into a heavy pot, filling it no more than halfway, and heat it to 165°C (330°F). Make certain the parsley is completely dry, since even a few drops of water will spit fiercely in hot fat. Lower the sprigs with a spider and stand back; fry for 5 to 10 seconds, just until crisp and vividly green. Drain on a rack or absorbent paper, season lightly, and raise the oil to 180°C (355°F).

10. 10

    Fry and serve

    Lower the chilled croquettes into the 180°C (355°F) oil in batches of three or four. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until evenly deep gold and crisp. Let the oil return to temperature between batches. If the first croquette leaks, lift it out, restore the oil temperature, patch any weak coating on the remaining croquettes with Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) and fresh crumbs, then chill them for 20 minutes before trying again. Drain on a rack, salt moderately, and serve within 7 or 8 minutes, arranged around the fried parsley with the sauce crème passed separately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Whole preserved black truffle is the honest classical pantry answer when fresh truffle is unavailable. Drain it well and weigh the full 28 g. Truffle oil cannot supply the dark, earthy dice that belong inside these croquettes.
• •Make the fresh breadcrumbs from day-old white bread with the crusts removed, then pulse and sift them fine. Coarse crumbs leave gaps in the coating; panko changes both the crust and the shape.
• •Use a frying thermometer. Oil below temperature soaks the crumb and gives the Béchamel time to escape, while excessively hot oil colors the outside before the center warms.
• •A dry Champagne, Crémant de Bourgogne, or brisk unoaked white wine cuts neatly through the butter, cream, and fried crust. Pour small glasses and serve the croquettes first.

Advance Preparation

• •The egg, mushroom, truffle, and Béchamel filling can be mixed and refrigerated a day ahead. Keep parchment directly against its surface so it does not dry.
• •The croquettes may be shaped and breaded up to 8 hours before serving. Chill them uncovered for 30 minutes to set the coating, then cover loosely until frying time.
• •The Béchamel base can be prepared a day ahead. Refrigerate it with parchment against the surface, then reheat gently and finish the sauce crème shortly before serving.
• •Do not fry the croquettes in advance. The last-minute frying is part of the dish, and reheating softens the close crust that protects the creamy center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)