Chicken Croquettes With Mushroom Sauce

Recipe Instructions * Note 1: For this amount you will need about a 3 1/2 to 4 pound roasting chicken, simmered until tender, cooled, skinned and boned, and put through a meat grinder fitted with a medium-fine blade. * Note: See the "Mushroom Sauce For Croquettes" recipe which is included in this collection. Mix the chicken and celery in a large bowl and reserve. Saute onion and sage in the butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat 3 to 4 minutes, just until onion is golden. Blend in flour. Add milk and heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Mix in salt and pepper and let sauce mellow over low heat 3 to 4 minutes or until no raw floury taste remains. Combine the sauce with chicken mixture, then chill several hours, until firm enough to shape. Using your hands, shape the chicken mixture into small "logs" about 3-inches long and 1 1/2-inches wide. Dip logs into the beaten egg and milk, then roll in cracker meal to coat evenly. Arrange croquettes on a wax-paper-lined baking sheet and set uncovered in the refrigerator; chill for about 3 hours so the coating will stick. Pour vegetable oil into a deep-fat fryer to a depth of about 2-inches (or melt enough vegetable shortening in the fryer to equal a depth of 2-inches). Insert a deep-fat thermometer and heat fat to 365 degrees. Fry the croquettes, about 4 at a time, turning as needed so that they are a nice golden brown all over. Try to keep the temperature of the deep fat as nearly at 365 degrees as possible by raising or lowering the burner heat (if the fat is too cool, the croquettes will become greasy; if it is too hot, they will brown outside before they have a chance to heat through to the centers). Drain the browned croquettes on paper toweling. When all have been fried, set uncovered in a very slow oven (250 degrees) for about 20 minutes. Serve with the Mushroom Sauce. This recipe serves 6.