Shiitake Mushroom & Truffle Cream Croquettes

Addictive, smooth, creamy, and just a touch spicy, these croquettes are the perfect appetizer or side.

35-40 g g dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 3 hours, and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
100 g parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp black truffle oil, divided
1 cup whole milk
1.25 tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup flour
1.5 sleeves saltines, finely ground in a food processor *You can substitute bread crumbs if you prefer
3 eggs beaten
4 cups neutral oil of choice, for frying

Saute 1 tbsp truffle oil, butter, chopped mushrooms, and 1/2 tsp salt over medium high heat till lightly crispy, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Add milk, lower heat to medium and and cook, stirring constantly about three more minutes.
Add flour, remaining tablespoon truffle oil, parmesan cheese, remaining salt, and black pepper, and cook till it comes together. Cover and let cool completely in the fridge for ~3 hours before breading.

Wet your hands to make this process easier. Take a tablespoon of filling at a time, and form into a small cylinder. Dip into the beaten eggs, then, using a fork, roll into the finely ground saltine crumbs. Dip back into the egg, and back into the saltines. Repeat until you use up your filling.
At this point, refrigerate your croquettes for at least 30 minutes. You can store them in the freezer for frying later as well.

Heat your oil in a deep saucepan up to 375 deg F (190 deg C). Working in batches, fry a few croquettes, keeping the oil frying temp ~350 F (177 C). If your croquettes are small, they will fry ~2 min. If you leave them too long, they may burst, so watch carefully. As soon as they are golden, remove them from the oil.

Mix your sauce ingredients in small bag - a ziploc sandwich bag works perfectly well here. Cut the tip off, and top your croquettes.
Enjoy!