Classic Kalfskroketten (Dutch Veal Croquettes)

Febo kalfsvleeskroket

Kham Tran - www.khamtran.com/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0

Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Rest Time: 60 mins
Total: 5 hrs
Servings: 30 servings
Yield: 30 croquettes

We've had so many requests for a good recipe for Dutch kalfskroketten over the years, but veal croquettes are not something we would generally make at home ourselves. Not because we don't love them, because we absolutely do, but because they're so ubiquitous in bars and cafés in the Netherlands. We usually enjoy them when we go out for a beer. So we were overjoyed to be given permission by the publishers of The New Dutch Cuisine to share noted Dutch chef Albert Kooy's recipe for traditional Dutch veal croquettes. It even comes with handy step-by-step photos. Now our readers who don't have easy access to this popular Dutch bar snack can easily make them at home, too.

Warning: These delicacies can be deceptively hot inside, as many tongue-scorched victims who have fallen prey to their own gluttony can attest.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds (1 kilogram) veal, preferably rose

  • 1 onion

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 2 whole cloves

  • 7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter

  • 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 2 shallots, chopped

  • 2 cups (500 milliliters) veal stock, from cooking the meat

  • 2 cups (500 milliliters) whole milk

  • 5 leaves gelatin

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

  • 1/2 bunch fresh chives, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, for breading

  • 3 large eggs, for breading

  • 4 cups fresh breadcrumbs, for breading

  • 3 cups oil, for deep-frying

Steps to Make It

  1. Place the veal in a pan with just enough water to cover the meat. Bring it to a simmer. Skim off the foam and add the onion, bay leaf, and cloves. Let it simmer until the meat is tender. Strain the veal stock over a bowl (do not discard!) and allow the meat to cool. Cut the veal into small pieces.

  2. Make a roux with the butter, flour and chopped shallots. Use the roux to make a salpicon by adding the stock and the milk. Let it simmer for a half hour, stirring thoroughly. 

  3. Dissolve the gelatin in cold water and add to the simmering salpicon, stirring regularly. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, chives, parsley, mustard, and the veal. Let the salpicon cool in the refrigerator.

  4. Roll croquettes from the salpicon and bread them twice in the flour, egg (beaten with 3 tablespoons water), and breadcrumb mixtures. Deep-fry at 356 F / 180 C.

Tips

  • Salpicon refers to a preparation made of one or more ingredients that are minced or diced and bound with a sauce. A roux is a mixture of fat and flour that is cooked until bubbly.
  • Never heard of rose veal? It is pink veal, darker in color than pale white traditional veal. Arguably more ethical, this meat is produced using calves of up to eight months old. The animals are given more room to move and raised on beef feed. Proponents of rose veal argue that it uses dairy calves, an unwanted byproduct of the dairy industry, most of which are otherwise killed at birth.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
251 Calories
13g Fat
17g Carbs
15g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 30
Amount per serving
Calories 251
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 65mg 22%
Sodium 185mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 15g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 60mg 5%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 194mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)