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fun times

Recipe: goat cheese croquettes

[We’ve got puppies, ski porn, movies, and food today. Does it get better than this?]

Do you ever find that time does strange things when you are really busy? I do. I like to pack things into each day and when I have several days or weeks like that lined up, time seems to slow down. Sort of the opposite of Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity. We left this past Thursday morning for Winter Park/Mary Jane and it feels like it was over a week ago. The whole region got a good bit of snow – something we desperately need for the health of our forests, wildlife, and our water supply. It doesn’t hurt the skiing either.

Jeremy and I spent all of our time in the glades (super soft powder), on the bumps, and in the bowls. Amazing. We usually head home after a day of tele, but this time we spent the evening with my friend who lives near Winter Park. He drives dog sleds. Actually, he doesn’t just drive dog sleds, he runs the business. We got to meet his sweet and beautiful wife, baby girl, and their 80+ gorgeous Huskies. I spent a little time with the sled pups in the morning before we hit the slopes on Friday.


mesmerizing eyes

majestic



Contrary to what you might think from the photos, as soon as I knelt down to take a picture, I was jumped on, pawed, licked, gently nipped, and enthusiastically sniffed all over by three or four! It was quite the challenge to capture these dogs because they are constantly in motion – ten times more energy than K-girl.

waiting for brekkie

patient



Friday was a fabulous bluebird day. We enjoyed the 20 minute drive to the base of Mary Jane instead of the hour and a half it takes from our house. Not as much powder as was predicted, but after such a dry year, we were happy with the 5 inches of freshies.

jeremy checks on me in the chute where i biffed

jeremy follows me down the bowl



Now on to the food. This is the second recipe from that amazing dinner that B made for us a few weeks ago. I’m not a huge fan of deep frying and so when I do, I try to make several “frying” recipes over the course of a few days because I just hate the amount of oil it uses and wastes. The good news is that I have found a recycling center in Boulder that accepts used cooking oil. Sweet!

goat cheese, green chiles, and some cheddar



The original recipe is for cornmeal-crusted goat cheese. I keep calling them croquettes and since I added cheddar to the mix, I’m renaming them as croquettes. I quite like goat cheese, but both Jeremy and I thought these could use a little more tang. I considered roasting garlic and mixing that in, but we had some cheddar cheese to use up – and who doesn’t love (more) fried cheese?

rolled into balls

flour for dredging, egg-milk for dipping, cornmeal and pepper for coating



It’s a simple recipe to throw together. You definitely want to make sure you have enough for the coatings because a breach in the shell results in a disemboweled croquette during the frying. Very sad.

flour-coated and ready for dipping

cornmeal crust



I suppose I am an amateur when it comes to deep-frying, because a third of my croquettes did just what I warned about – disemboweled. There was so much bubbling in the pot that I didn’t realize what had happened until I fished out the empty shells. Of course, because it’s almost all cheese, that just bubbled off into non-existence. I was pretty careful about coating them, so I guess the heat or violently bubbling oil might have broken a few open? For the ones that survived, they were terrific! Crunchy and slightly spicy outside with a creamy, hot, smooth inside. I’m tempted to add roasted garlic next time – if I can ever overcome my fear of frying.

makes a great appetizer served hot



Goat Cheese Croquettes
[print recipe]
slightly modified from Cornmeal-Crusted Goat Cheese by Southwest Flavors: Santa Fe School of Cooking

2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups cornmeal, coarse
1 tbsp black peppercorns, cracked
1 cup flour
9 oz. goat cheese, soft
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 tbsp green chiles or chipotles, roasted, peeled and chopped
2 cups vegetable oil

Whip eggs and milk together. Mix cornmeal and peppercorns together. Place flour on wax paper. [Jen’s note: I put the flour in a bowl.] Combine goat cheese, cheddar, and chile; then divide the mixture into six equal parts. Roll into balls, and flatten at opposite ends for stability. [Jen’s note: I kept them round as I like unstable food.] Dredge the goat cheese mixture in flour, followed by the egg wash and ending with the cornmeal mixture, being careful to coat the cheese completely. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F and fry the cheese until golden brown (or before the bloody things disembowel in the oil). Remove the cheese with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Serve with Mango-Chipotle Salsa (I didn’t have any on hand). Serves 6.

44 nibbles at “fun times”

  1. sammyw says:

    what a beautiful dog :) and amazing looking croquettes, i just love goat cheese!! happy weekend!

  2. Rosa says:

    What stunning husky pictures! Really beautiful…

    These croquettes look very promising! A delicious dish.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. Michelle says:

    You had me at green chile (and cheese)! I wonder if maybe 10-20 minutes in the freezer before frying would be enough to contain all the cheesey goodness. A lot of fried cheese recipes I’ve seen call for freezing beforehand.

  4. Macie says:

    What beautiful photos of dogs! Glad to see that my own aren’t the only ones that insist on jumping, licking, & pawing when I’m trying to capture a photo.

  5. Manggy says:

    When you enumerated today’s agenda, for a second there my mind displaced the comma and I read something VERY different ;) I thoroughly enjoyed your movies. Nothing like a robotic British (er, more or less) voice coming out of a pink dog saying “homie.” Hahaha! I loved the movie at the link, too.
    I’m not afraid of deep frying but I rarely do because of the oil-waste guilt. I’m not aware of any recycling plants for that near my home (or anywhere in the Philippines, for that matter, but many would tend to just reuse the oil until they don’t want to anymore). Would be totally worth it for these croquettes. Black pepper and chiles and cheese… Be still my heart! (And the mango-chipotle salsa sounds awesome by the way!)

  6. Eglė says:

    That looks SERIOUSLY good and, of course, worth trying. Thanks :)

  7. charlane says:

    gorgeous photographs!!1 love this recipe and I want them in my tummy now

  8. Tracy says:

    You make me want to get out my deep frying. I don’t use it too often either, but when I do the food sure rocks. Unless you fry fish (or have too much exploded cheese in the oil) you can store the oil and use it again. Let it cool and put it back in the oil jug and freeze it. Lasts for months that way. If necessary I strain the leftoever oil when putting it back in a bottle or jar to get out the chunks.

    Looks like you have a fun life.

  9. NAOmni says:

    Those eyes are to die for!

    NAOmni

  10. Pearl says:

    Oh my gosh – what beautiful photographs!

  11. Kristin says:

    Whoa! Do you have a ski glossary posted on your site anywhere? Definitely a foreign language for me. Beautiful dogs. Did Miss K go along, or did she have to pass?

  12. Natalie says:

    Those look wonderful. How gooeylicious.

  13. cindy says:

    you can never really go wrong with fried cheese, or puppies, or funny little movies…i happen to go wrong every time i ski though, so i’ll leave that up to you all :)

  14. Kitt says:

    OK, that second movie? Creepy. Actually, they’re both kinda creepy, but first one made me laugh. Yo.

    The croquettes? Made me drool. Stashing that one away to try for sure.

  15. Mrs Ergül says:

    I think you deep-fry great, unlike me! I should be the one to fear. I will go look at those movies you made soon!

    Majestic is just the word for Huskies!

  16. Margie says:

    Unbelievable. The beauty. There really aren’t adequate words. Let me just smile:
    :)

  17. Collette says:

    When I saw the title, I said aloud, Oh fuck, I love those things. (My husband saying WHAT??? in the background.) They serve a version at a tapas place we frequent. I suppose I now have no excuse not to try them myself. Thanks. I think. ;-)

    Beautiful huskies.

  18. Steph says:

    OH wow. Deep frying is indeed terrifying, despite the delicious results. I would so love to eat these croquettes, though, they look beyond amazing. Deep fried + cheese verges on the edge of “too much of a good thing..” but not quite, so that makes it perfect, right? ;D

    And the pups. Must stop looking before I lose my voice cooing over your gorgeous photos of them.

  19. Laura says:

    Wow I love those dog photos. Amazing. They have the best eyes for picture taking. I’m reading a book with a blue eyed wolf and now I am going to imagine those dogs when I picture him.

    Fried cheese + goat cheese = YUM.

  20. Piee says:

    oh my gosh. The dogs are gorgeous! and so are the cheese croquettes!

  21. Maja says:

    My 50 cents on deep frying: when you’re frying something delicate (and not meat that will not fry into oblivion), it helps a lot to double-coat, so roll them in eggs and cornmeal (but not flour, i’m sure you wouldn’t, but just in case) after they’ve already been coated. Another thing is that the oil needs to be hot enough, if it’s not hot enough (if it makes no noise when you put your croquettes in or when there’s a bunch inside, it’s not hot enough), the firm thin shell won’t form quickly and there’s a greater chance they open up either because they touch the bottom of the pan and leave a small patch of coating there or because, you know, the shell hasn’t formed and the cheese wants to “expand” because of the heat. But double-coating, at least for me, has always worked (though i’m usually using breadcrumbs). :) Hope that helps. :)

  22. Maya says:

    Fried cheese sounds awesome!

  23. Caitlin says:

    Those dogs – oh, how I love the eyes. We had an Aussie growing up that had the most stunning blue eyes, so I have a soft spot for ’em. And I must admit, I tend to steer away from anything involving deep frying. No bad memories or anything, I just don’t want my entire apartment to smell like fried anything for 3 days straight!

  24. Judy says:

    Now, that’s dog porn for me. ;) I’ve had Huskies for years. They are my favorite breed, but oh so quirky. I have long-time friends in Utah who breed them. The croquettes look delicious — my goat cheese-loving daughter would devour them.

  25. Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy says:

    Disemboweled croquettes? Oh my! I’m chuckling because I have a fear of frying too and this ALWAYS happens to me! The ones that made it out alive look fabulous, though. You’re right that you can never have enough cheese, except, of course, if you have bacon too!

    Those dogs are real beauties! You did such a beautiful job photographing them.

  26. Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy says:

    P.S. The videos are adorable! I’m going over to that site to check it out.

  27. Memoria says:

    I loved the eyes on the husky! Like another commenter stated, the second video was creepy. I didn’t find the humor in that one at all. Two men grabbing a woman by the hair? Weird and sick. The first video was much better. Anyway, the croquettes look so yummy!!!! I love cheese!

  28. the wicked noodle says:

    I can not WAIT to make these yummy looking croquettes! I have some goat cheese that I was debating how to use up, and now I will wonder no more. Found your site through tastespotting…can’t wait until I have more time to spend here. Very nice!!

  29. Regina says:

    Beautiful pups! I love snow dogs. And these goat cheese balls look awesome, wonder if you could bake them, though frying is always tastier, just a bit more sinful!

  30. Lauren says:

    I love huskies! They’re so beautiful mad majestic, until you begin to play with them – then they act like cartoons. Lovely croquettes. I did some a few weeks ago for a dinner party with honey and caramelized shallots – check em out at: http://eastvillagekitchen.com/?p=1497 Cheers Jen!

  31. Lynn says:

    What beautiful dogs! I love the look of those croquettes. Recycling used cooking oil? Sweet! I never know what to do with mine.

  32. Melissa says:

    Wish I could watch your video masterpieces, but I’m still at my mom’s, with no sound. Flying home tomorrow.

    The dogs are BEAUTIFUL. Huskies are easily one of my favorite breeds. Would be my favorite but the Klee Kai trumps them.

    Great croquettes, even if a third of them bravely sacrificed their lives.

  33. Mollie says:

    Ok, the first video is a riot… the second one just made me sad. Sad, but so true. I love the concept of those movies tho.

    Fried Cheese… two beautiful words… :)

  34. Esther says:

    I made a movie today too! I love that site, it really is a lot of fun. I especially like the expressionless voices.
    And I will have to make those croquettes sometime soon. Goat cheese is one of those ingredients I can hardly resist…

  35. Jackie says:

    Wow, amazing photos. I love your dog! Reminds me a bit of my Akita, Mia.
    And these croquettes sound delicious — I’m definitely going to try them out.
    I think I’m growing an obsession with croquettes after making these Potato, Spinach, Nut ones— soo delicious, please check ’em out!

  36. jenyu says:

    ammyw – thanks :)

    Rosa – thank you, dear.

    Michelle – wow, that’s a neat tip. If I make them again, I’ll have to give that a try, thanks!

    Macie – well, these aren’t “pet” type dogs, they’re working dogs.

    Manggy – ha ha ha! You are a nut! Yes, I think Boulder is somewhat unique in how many things it recycles. Very nice for us though. Yeah, I have the recipe for the salsa, but didn’t make it as I didn’t have mangoes and of course, they’d be inferior to yours! :)

    Egle – :)

    Charlane – thanks!

    Tracy – nice, thanks for that tip. I never know what to do with the oil and it usually goes into a jar after a couple of days.

    NAOmni – they’re pretty, aren’t they?

    Pearl – thank you.

    Kristin – ha ha ha. Ski glossary? Um, which words were confusing? :) Miss K went to Camp Crazy instead, and she had a blast (and made friends with a little black lab puppy too!)

    Natalie – hee hee!

    Cindy – awww, I’m sure practice would make perfect (and that’s a good thing since practice is sooo fun!)

    Kitt – yeah, the second was meant to be like that ;) And yes, if you make the croquettes, tell me if any of yours disembowel.

    Mrs. E – they’re such beautiful dogs, no?

    Margie – ;)

    Collette – oh man, lucky you to be able to get these at a restaurant!

    Steph – ha ha ha, that’s so cute. I’ll have to remember the deep frying+cheese thing.

    Laura – how awesome! Those dogs were spectacular.

    Piee – thanks!

    Maja – ahhh, thanks! All of these great tips from people who know better! I love it. Thanks!

    Maya – mmmm, it always does, doesn’t it?

    Caitlin – yes, I have that issue more or less with frying too. Although our fan works alright, I’d like a heavy duty hood that is strong enough to suck up hamsters, ya know? Or an outdoor cook setup where I can fry to my heart’s content without an odory house.

    Judy – yes, Huskies are seriously high-energy dogs. I love them though. Just gorgeous creatures. Very different from little miss dopey at home ;)

    Susan – ah ha! Yes, bacon would have been the ultimate. I love bacon. I fear it too ;) thanks sweetie.

    Memoria – you know, I didn’t say the videos were meant to be funny and if you can’t even listen to the content, then maybe you should refrain from commenting.

    The Wicked Noodle – thanks and I’m so glad you’re going to try them :)

    Regina – hmmm, I think baking might be a good way to go. I would just worry about them going soft before the shell could harden?

    Lauren – nice!

    Lynn – it was a mystery for me for far too long, but luckily they turn it into biodiesel here :)

    Melissa – hope you had a nice visit with your mom, dear. I’ve never heard of the Klee Kai, I’ll have to check it out.

    Mollie – those movies are ridiculous! It’s really hard to get the right intonation – takes some futzing.

    Esther – cool! yes, the voices are tough to work with, but they make it a fun challenge.

    Jackie – yeah hon, those aren’t my dogs (it helps to read the post before commenting).

  37. Muneeba says:

    I wish I had an elf whose sole job was to smack me over the head everyday in order to REMIND me to check your blog! Seriously … I miss out on way too much by not being a regular visitor. For instance, I ALMOST missed this gorgeous entry. Those huskies … oh be still my heart!!! MY FAVORITES! Such drop-dead handsome dogs .. and the toughest canines in the northern hemisphere. I wuv them .. thks for capturing them in their element. As for those croquettes – so easy! (well, you make it seem that way) … and they look addictive.

  38. Jalapeño Poppers, Mystery Solved « all things delicious says:

    […] Use Real Butter, my questions were answered.   The savvy Colorado native behind the blog had made goat cheese and cheddar croquettes, mixing in green chiles and dredging the spheres in cornmeal before pan-frying.  It’s a […]

  39. jenyu says:

    Muneeba – thanks :) You can always catch the latest with an RSS feed or by subscribing on Google Reader.

  40. ziegen schafe says:

    I really love goat cheese it is really delicous. Most of the time I eat it as a dessert or use it to make a salsa.

  41. New Data Shows 77% of Americans Have Low Vitamin D Levels says:

    […] Goat Cheese Croquettes […]

  42. Savannah says:

    Thanks so much for all these amazing recipes- My parents think I should be cooking more now to ” be more knowledgable later in life and everything on this site is perfect and not too crazy (more of my parents wisdom is not burning the house down) so thanks sooooo much!

  43. Susan says:

    I have no fear of frying….when I’ve done cheese in the past,I learned to give them a few hours in the freezer BEFORE frying..the coating sets up better, with less likelihood of “blow-outs”..LOL

  44. Sarah says:

    To prevent your croquettes from coming apart or really anything you are going to fry from losing it’s coating. It is important to place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you fry them.

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