Cheese Croquettes (Fried Cheese Custard Balls) & Lentils: Take 2

Both Success and possible failure today. I made Cheese Croquettes for the second time today. The first time, when Julia instructed me to stir flour  and milk over heat until it was thick, I didn't take her seriously enough. I ended up trying to fry gloopy white paste that was more flour than cheese. Tasted... well, not bad, but it was terrible to work with. I got frustrated and threw it out.

Then today, I stuck it out under the heat. That milk and flour could not have been thicker. I was so happy that I forgot to check out the seasoning before rolling them up into adorable little balls to fry. Something was off. But the breading was perfect. (Thank you, Alton Brown, for telling me of the wonders of Panko bread crumbs.)

Things to try next time: Regular Swiss instead of Baby Swiss, more salt, smaller balls.

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Now, Lentil Soup. Some successes, some disappointments. To be fair, I haven't tastes it hot yet, but I was not a fan of the smell. Not at all. Serves me right for being distracted by hummus and not reading the recipe. Apparently my soup pan is not the proper size for browning that amount of vegetables, which explains why I haven't had any success with the "light browning" of the base vegetables. Also, I added 1 cup of diced turnip instead of 1/3 of a cup... and I added the turnip in with the other vegetables instead of with the lentils...

But I compensated for lack of a food mill by food-processing the shit out of those little buggers. Texture? Win. I am pleased. Taste will stand judgement tomorrow.

Notes for perfection: Fix that shit with the turnips. Fresh thyme? Go back to brown lentils. Those green french ones that were a dollar more a pound were not an improvement.

I saw a muffin in fridge. Think I might have to skip to the dessert section.