Bread Sauce Croquettes

Ingredients

The Bread Sauce

• 110 g freshly made white breadcrumbs (a two-day-old white loaf with crusts removed will be hard enough to grate, but the best way to make the crumbs is in a liquidiser, if you have one)
• 150g 1833 Cheddar
• 1 large onion
• 15-18 whole cloves and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 pint (570 ml) milk
• 50 g butter
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons double cream

The Croquettes

• The cold bread sauce
• 1 to 2 eggs beaten
• 100g Panko bread crumbs
• Frying Oil

The Cheddar Dip

• 227 ml double cream
• 100g 1833 Cheddar
• 2 x Bay leaf
• 2 x Crushed Garlic cloves
• 10g Butter

Croquettes Method

1. Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it – how many you use is a personal matter; I happen to like a pronounced flavour of clove. If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Place the onion – studded with cloves – plus the bay leaf and a pinch of nutmeg, in a saucepan together with the milk. Add some salt then bring everything up to boiling point. Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk too steep for two hours. When you're ready to make the sauce, remove the onion and bay leaf.
2. Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add 50g of the 1833 cheddar (grated). Leave the saucepan on a very low heat, stirring now and then, until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce – about 15
3. Place the bread sauce in a bowl and cover with cling film and chill overnight in the fridge
4. Take a spoon size ball of the bread sauce and roll by hand. If it feels very wet add a little extra cheese. Form into croquette shapes and lay out on a tray. Coat in the flour then dip in the egg and finally the panko. Chill for 20 minutes in the fridge. Fry in hot oil for a couple of minutes until golden. Serve straight away with warm garlic and cheddar dip

Cheddar and Garlic Dip

1. Peel the garlic cloves and smash with the back of a knife, next add the butter to the pan along with the cream. Slowly bring to the boil and add the garlic cloves and the bay leaves, simmer gently to infuse the garlic and bay. Remove the garlic and bay leaf and now stir in the grated cheddar until smooth and glossy. Place in serving dish and enjoy.