Croquettes from Iván Cerdeño restaurant
Eating croquettes is about getting your hands dirty , of burning your tongue and losing count. Perhaps that is why this temptation in the form of a double bite is that hedonistic haven that we always want. The croquette, like the cheesecake, is one of those pleasures for which we pilgrimage anywhere : everyone wants to know where do you eat the best.
And like every year, the gastronomic congress Madrid Fusion He makes it very easy for us, thanks to his ** Contest for the Best Joselito Ham Croquette **. The winner this 2020? the of Alberto Garcia Escudero , chef de cuisine Ivan Sardinian restaurant (Toledo), where you can taste the winning croquette like appetizer from its tasting menu of classics.
This villafranquero (from Villafranca de los Caballeros), after 20 tests, has found the winning recipe , according to the jury of experts, which has evaluated 6 different (the finalists among a hundred participants) in a blind tasting , first of the bechamel sauce and then of the already fried croquette.
Is not easy . Though Daniel Salas (one of the members of the jury) say that "there is no bad croquette" , he acknowledges that he doesn't like the ones that are liquid inside . The Cook Pepe Solla tells us that he prefers elongated croquettes , not the round ones, which they are well fried so that they can be grasped well with the fingers and that are not greasy , Sure.
Jesus Safe , chef from Trivio (Cuenca) , and winner of this contest in the 2016 edition, gives it a number: “each of ours weighs 35 grams” . A Begona Tormo (Canal Cocina), for example, he doesn't like being breaded with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) : it is a fashion, but he prefers the breadcrumbs of a lifetime.
RECIPE OF THE BEST SPANISH HAM CROQUETTE
And although we see that for tastes, croquettes, This year's winner has tipped us off to Traveler.es about his secrets:
1. They use fresh cow's milk , which infuse with the Joselito Iberian ham fat.
two. To make the bechamel , the proportion is important: they use 100 grams of flour and butter for 1 liter of milk and 300 grams of ham.
3. Do not freeze the bechamel : the key is to chill it in the fridge for a few hours before rounding it (shaping it).
Four. They bowl them the next day.
5. Oil (they use sunflower, so that it does not subtract flavor from the croquette) it must be very hot : the temperature must be at least 190º.
The other finalist candidates of the contest have been Paco Villar (Terra Olea, Cordoba), Ramona Menendez (Belarmine House, Manzaneda-Gozón, Asturias) , Valley Frames (Gonzalo's Tapas, Salamanca), Nacho Hernando (Housing, Barcelona) and Felix Martinez (El Foralín, Oviedo).
But this 2020, for the second consecutive year, the prize has gone to Toledo which, at this rate, will become the national capital of croquettes . for now, Castilla La Mancha is already claiming its place : this week, in addition, taking advantage of the celebration of Madrid Fusión, it has presented its brand Culinary Root , to promote the region's gastronomy and publicize the identity, richness and diversity of Castilian-La Mancha cuisine : marinades, garlic soups, migas or marzipan but, also and why not, croquettes.
Alberto García Escudero, chef of the restaurant and his team