Croquettes trio – IKEA Food Challenge

Thinking about what “we Dutch” like to eat I came to the croquette; whether it’s as a street food snack or for lunch served with a good slice of bread: together we eat around 300 million croquettes per year! Quite a nice dish to see on the menu of all Dutch IKEA restaurants right? I still had all kinds of Swedish food in my #IKEAfoodchallenge basket so why not make a trio?

That may sound like it went without a hitch in my tiny kitchen but no: two of the three croquettes the filling was too liquid to shape… So back in the pan, added some extra gelatine, waited another four hours and tried again. Eventually it all worked out well!

Some helpful basic tips for making croquettes:

• The basis of the croquette is a roux: you cook flour into melted butter. Make sure the flour is cooked properly before you add stock to get rid of the typical flour taste
• A hot roux dissolves in cold liquid, and a cold roux in warm liquid
• Is the filling well set? With the below recipes it should but if not put the filling back in the pan on a low heat and add some extra gelatine. Make sure to cool the filling at least 4 hours in the refrigerator
• This is perhaps the most important tip: once you shape the filling make sure it’s completely smooth to avoid the croquettes will break during baking

*The Ikea Food Challenge is a Dutch competition that runs in September 2015. The winning recipe will be on the 2016 menu of all Ikea stores in The Netherlands.

Croquettes with elk sausage (great with truffle mayonnaise!)

Makes 8-10 small croquettes

Ingredients

• 50 gr IKEA elk sausage, cut into small pieces
• 25 gr mushrooms, cut into small pieces
• 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• 50 gr butter
• 50 gr flour
• 250 ml cold game stock or beef broth
• 3 sheets of gelatine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 50 gr breadcrumbs
• couple tablespoons flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• Flat tray, lightly greased and lined with cling film

Instructions

1. Fry the chopped sausage and mushrooms with thyme in a little oil. Set aside
2. Make a brown roux: melt the butter over low heat. Once the butter starts getting brown, add flour all at once. Stir well with a wooden spatula to cook the flour, don’t leave the pan! For a brown roux you cook the flour until it is hazel
3. Add the broth or stock little by little and mix well. Let briefly simmer until it has thickened
4. Meanwhile soak gelatine in cold water
5. Add the sausage, and mushrooms to the sauce, season with salt and pepper
6. Stir the softened gelatine into the mixture and pour the filling into the lined tray. Fold the plastic wrap over the filling and leave in the fridge for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight
7. If the filling is stiffened it’s time for breading the croquettes. Prepare three large flat bowls: one with flour, one with beaten egg and 1 with breadcrumbs
8. Carefully pour the croquette filling on a cutting board and cut into 8-10 equal pieces
9. Shape each piece into a sausage, working quickly to keep the filling firm
10. Cover each side of the croquette well with flour, carefully whisk the excess flour off. Then cover with the egg, ensuring each side is well covered
11. Place the croquettes in the bowl with bread crumbs and roll them gently through it. Make sure that each side is covered with a layer of breadcrumbs
12. Repeat with all croquettes and arrange on a plate (with baking paper between them so they do not stick together). You can bake them right now but it’s better to place them in the fridge for another hour to set
13. Ready to bake? Heat cooking oil to 180 degrees and fry the croquettes until golden (not too much at once!)

Cheese croquettes (great with mustard!)

Makes 8-10 small croquettes

Ingredients

• 50 gr butter
• 50 gr flour
• 250 ml milk
• 50 gr IKEA Swedish semi-hard cheese, finely grated
• 50 gr Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 ½ egg yolk
• 25 ml cream
• Freshly ground pepper
• Nutmeg to taste
• 3 sheets of gelatine
• 50 gr breadcrumbs
• couple tablespoons flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• Flat tray, lightly greased and lined up with cling film

Instructions

1. Make a blonde roux: melt the butter over low heat. Before the butter turns brown, add flour all at once. Stir well with a wooden spatula to cook the flour, don’t leave the pan!
2. Add the milk little by little and mix well until a béchamel sauce. Let briefly simmer until it has thickened while stirring
3. Add both grated cheeses and let it melt in the béchamel
4. Meanwhile soak gelatine leaves in cold water
5. Mix the yolks with the cream and stir into the croquette filling. Season with freshly ground pepper and nutmeg
6. Stir the softened gelatine into the mixture and pour the filling into the lined baking dish. Fold the plastic wrap over the filling so that no sheet pops up and at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight in the fridge
7. From here you can follow steps 7 to 13 as described in the above elk sausage croquette recipe

Shrimp croquettes (great with some lemon wedges!)

Makes 8-10 small croquettes

Ingredients

• 1/2 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
• small shallot, chopped
• 1 sprig parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• small bay leaf
• 10 gr tomato paste
• 70 ml white wine
• 140 ml fish stock
• 50 gr butter
• 50 gr flour
• 200 gr IKEA peeled shrimp, frozen and chopped
• 70 ml cream
• Zest of ½ organic lemon
• small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely sliced
• 3 sheets gelatine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 50 gr breadcrumbs
• couple tablespoons flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• Flat tray, lightly greased and lined up with cling film

Instructions

1. Start by making the broth: sauté the celery and onion with fresh herbs in a little oil until soft
2. Add the tomato paste and cook for a few to take off the acidity
3. Deglaze with the wine and fish stock, bring to the boil and cook firmly for 10 minutes
4. Strain the broth and set aside
5. Make a blonde roux: melt the butter over low heat. Before the butter turns brown, add flour all at once. Stir well with a wooden spatula to cook the flour, don’t leave to the pan!
6. Meanwhile soak gelatine leaves in cold water
7. Gradually add the cooked fish broth to the roux and mix well until it thickens. Keep stirring
8. Add the cream and shrimp and mix well
9. Stir in lemon zest and chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper
10. Add the soaked gelatine and pour the filling into the lined tray. Fold the plastic wrap over the filling so that no sheet pops up and at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight in the fridge
11. From here you can follow steps 7 to 13 as described in the above elk sausage croquette recipe

It’s a bit of work so you’d better make some more to keep in the freezer. Or just pick one favourite flavour to start with 😉

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