Everyone likes croquettes. At least when it comes to the eating part, because preparing them has its intricacies. Although it is not complicated. If we put our minds to it, we can all learn to do them and have our fingers licked and repeat. Their ideal point is that they are crispy on the outside and liquid on the inside, but without being overcooked.
If the inside of a croquette is very liquid, it is normal that we cannot handle it to coat it and fry it and it will end up breaking. However, there is a trick that restaurants use to achieve that balance of textures.
The trick has been made known by chef Mery García on her TikTok account @cocinaparatodos, and that is that to make the croquettes liquid on the inside and crispy on the outside, just add two sheets of neutral gelatin hydrated in the bechamel to the recipe.
This makes the mixture acquire a firm, gelatinous consistency that allows us to manipulate the croquettes. Afterwards, we just have to fry them so that they are liquid on the inside and crispy on the outside without breaking.
The time to add the gelatin comes at the end of making the filling. It is the last step before letting the dough rest to coat the croquettes later. It simply consists of mixing two sheets of previously hydrated gelatin in the bechamel. Next, we cover the container with the mixture with plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator.
When the mixture is well solidified, we unmold it by removing it with the help of a pastry tongue and turning the container upside down so that it falls onto a tray or cutting board. Thanks to the gelatin, you will have a uniform consistency that can be cut with a knife and to the size you want to make your croquettes. Then all that remains is to coat them and fry them, as the expert says “over very high heat and for a few seconds, otherwise the filling will come out.”
Cover photo | Jonathan Pincas
