CookEat Recipe
Oyster Croquettes
Twelve oyster croquettes with small squares of preserved black winter truffle, bound with a reduced aromatic sauce, egg yolks and cream, then breaded and fried in lard. Dijon mustard is used here.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Open the forty large fresh oysters, reserving their natural opening liquor separately from the water for poaching. Strain out shell fragments and keep the saved liquor chilled until it goes into the sauce. Poach the oysters in one pint boiling water with half a teaspoon salt for about five minutes; check each oyster is cooked through to at least 74°C. Drain on a colander, discard the poaching water, and cut the oysters into small squares. Drain one small whole preserved black winter truffle and discard its brine. Cut the drained truffle into the same small squares as the oysters, combine with the oysters and keep briefly on a clean plate while continuing the sauce.
Step 2
Heat one ounce butter in a saucepan. Add six finely chopped shallots and three finely chopped canned mushrooms and cook gently for about three minutes. Add the one ounce flour, stir over the heat for two minutes, then pour in the oysters’ reserved natural opening liquor and one pint finished white veal stock. Add half a teaspoon each freshly chopped parsley and chervil, half a teaspoon salt, one saltspoon cayenne, one saltspoon grated nutmeg and one teaspoon Dijon mustard. Mix while boiling for five minutes, then reduce briskly for about thirty minutes, stirring the bottom to prevent catching.
Step 3
Dilute the three actual pasteurized shell-egg yolks with half a gill pasteurized cream. Stir into the reduced sauce and keep stirring while heating for about five minutes, until the egg-containing mixture reaches at least 74°C. Add the oysters and truffle and mix over the heat for about two minutes more. Spread the finished filling in a shallow clean food-safe dish and cool rapidly, then refrigerate promptly at 4°C or below until cold and firm enough to shape. Do not leave this cooked egg-and-seafood filling cooling around the kitchen; keep total unrefrigerated time below two hours.
Step 4
Divide the SAME finished filling into TWELVE equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, shape each into a cork-like croquette, dip in beaten whole egg as required and lightly roll in bread crumbs. Keep the uncooked coated croquettes cold while preparing the fryer.
Step 5
Heat the rendered food-purpose lard in a suitable deep fryer to 350°F, respecting its fill limits. Shake off excess loose crumbs, load the croquettes into a wire frying basket without wet surfaces, and lower carefully into the fat. Fry for about five minutes, until golden; check the centre of each reaches at least 165°F (74°C), continuing as needed.
Step 6
Lift out and drain thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining half teaspoon salt over the twelve-croquette batch, arrange on a clean food-contact folded napkin, add a little parsley greens and serve hot.
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