We’re going to start with the base recipes, the béchamel dough for croquettes. This first part of the croquette recipe is the same for every single one of them, no matter the flavour you choose to add later in the second step… that’s where you can play and give it your personal touch. You’ll see how easy it is.

This base is used for all croquettes. In the second step we’ll add the flavour we want for each one, but every croquette must begin with this base dough or béchamel, the essential foundation of a good croquette.

How to make the dough for a good Croquette

The croquette dough has a couple of interesting secrets, one for flavour and another for the texture or creaminess of the mixture.

Trick for enhancing the flavour of croquette dough.

There’s a very common trick used to give croquette dough an exceptional flavour:

When the dough is finished and you’re about to adjust the salt, simply add a little nutmeg to taste. That pinch of nutmeg gives the dough a wonderful flavour.

Trick for the texture.

The texture of croquette dough or béchamel is important, and there’s something you need to keep in mind:

Don’t worry too much about getting the texture perfect the first time. It takes a bit of practice because the dough has a balance between liquid and solid that you need to learn to judge.

If you make it too runny, you won’t be able to shape the croquettes later, although they will turn out juicier.

If you make the béchamel too firm, shaping them will be easier, but once fried the croquettes can end up dry and rubbery. And there’s nothing worse than a dry croquette.

Making a good Béchamel, the secret behind perfect croquette dough.

Let’s make a béchamel worthy of the gods. Time for the ingredients.