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Rice Croquettes, Plain
Wash a pound of rice in several waters. Dry it in a cloth, and put it in a saucepan with half a pint of milk, a quart of cold water, and a little salt. Let it simmer gently until it is soft, thick, and dry, then spread it on a dish to cool. Form it into balls or corks, dip these into the yolks of two eggs well beaten, and afterwards into bread finely grated, and passed through a coarse sieve. Lay the croquettes in the frying basket, and plunge them into hot fat. Turn them over that they may be equally coloured, and fry them till they are a bright golden brown. Drain them before the fire on a napkin or on blotting-paper, and serve them very hot piled high on a dish. Time to fry, five minutes. Probable cost, 1s. Sufficient for ten or eleven persons.
A plain rice croquette of the sort Victorian kitchens turned out as a vegetable side or a base for sauce. The recipe hinges on cooking the rice until it is genuinely dry and sticky, not fluffy.
- Quantities in modern termsA pound of rice is about 2 1/3 cups; half a pint of milk is about 10 fl oz (1 1/4 cups) in British measure, and a quart of water about 40 fl oz (5 cups). That is a comparatively wet ratio, so plan on a long slow simmer to drive it off.
- Use a starchy riceLong-grain rice will not bind. Short-grain pudding rice, arborio or similar releases the starch that holds the croquette together; the recipe's own instruction to cook it "soft, thick, and dry" is the point of the whole dish.
- Cool it thoroughlySpreading on a dish to cool is not optional. Chill the rice until firm, ideally an hour in the refrigerator, or the balls will slump in the fat.
- Egg washTwo yolks alone are thick and awkward to coat with. Beating in a spoonful of water or milk, or using whole eggs, gives an even film that holds the crumb.
- Frying temperatureThe recipe says only 'hot fat'; in modern terms that would usually be taken as roughly 350-375F. Below that the croquettes drink oil and the coating loosens; five minutes suits a golf-ball size at that heat.
- DrainingBlotting-paper means unglazed absorbent paper. Paper towels on a rack work better than a napkin, which traps steam and softens the crust.
- Yield'Ten or eleven persons' assumes a small side portion at a multi-course dinner. Expect four to six as a modern side dish; the recipe does not say how many croquettes a pound of rice makes.
- SeasoningThe original relies on salt alone. Pepper, nutmeg or grated cheese folded into the cooled rice suits contemporary tastes without changing the method.
Croquettes take their name from the French croquer, to crunch. The costing of one shilling for a dish serving ten or eleven reflects the Victorian habit of pricing every receipt so a housekeeper could weigh it against the week's budget.