Recipe: delicious cheese croquettes by Tobias Camman

All-rounder and professional snob Tobias Camman often showed on Instagram how well he can cook, but he really impressed when he managed to amaze Michelin-starred chef Peter Gast in De Fomoshow with his self-invented dish. The idea for a cookbook was born. With Voer, any home cook can put a high-quality dish, such as these restaurant-quality cheese croquettes, on the table.

Tobias: “The combination of savoury matured cheese with a hint of funky red-flora cheese is wonderful, but of course you can also choose other cheeses. One cheese is slightly softer than another, so when choosing, bear in mind that you need to be able to shape firm croquettes and that the filling should not become too soft. In any case, the base always remains the same.”

How to make the cheese croquettes

• Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan with a thick base and do not wait too long before adding the flour. Stir well with the whisk until it becomes a nice dry emulsion. Now add the stock little by little. It will still be thin at first, but as it starts to cook, the sauce will thicken by itself. The sauce is ready when it says ‘blub’, meaning when an air bubble gently pops at the surface.
• Now add the cheese little by little. Once everything has melted, add the chopped chives and turn off the heat. Taste the filling and add salt and pepper to taste. You can season it generously (that’s chefs’ way of saying nice and salty), because it is a filling and it is allowed to pack a punch.
• Pour the filling into a container and let it cool in the refrigerator. It is still a little loose now, but the cold will make it firm and kneadable.
• After 1–2 hours, take the filling out of the refrigerator and roll it into one thick croquette. Divide it with a knife into 8 exactly equal slices. Roll these slices into small croquettes. This takes a little technique, but it is easiest if you flatten the ends nicely with your thumb and index finger (hold the croquette between your thumb and index finger and gently press it) while using your index, middle and ring fingers to make the rolling motion. So roll, then pinch/press with your thumb and index finger, then roll again, and so on, until a nice thick, short croquette forms.
• Once all the croquettes have a nice, even shape, it is time for the real work: breading. Prepare three shallow plates: flour on the left, beaten eggs in the middle and the mixture of breadcrumbs and panko on the right.
• Coat the croquettes successively in the flour, egg and breadcrumb mixture. Make sure the egg covers the entire croquette and press the breadcrumb mixture on firmly. It helps to spoon the mixture over them by hand and press it on from all sides.
• If you are going to serve the croquettes the same day, place them back in the refrigerator under cling film, or freeze them in a sealed container for another time.
• Before frying, heat the oil in the deep fryer to 180 degrees. Fry the croquettes until beautifully golden brown; this only takes a few minutes. Drain them on kitchen paper and serve with (mustard) mayonnaise.

Title: Voer
Author: Tobias Camman
Price: €29,99
Publisher: Blossom Books Bold

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