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Dessert

Vol-au-vent of Fresh Strawberries, with Whipped Cream

A puff pastry case filled with strawberries and whipped cream.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Why it works: Strawberry and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,509 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Vol-au-vent of Fresh Strawberries, with Whipped Cream

Ingredients

Directions

Make the case

  1. Make a vol-au-vent case from puff pastry, not as large or high as a savory one.

  2. When nearly done, brush the pastry with egg white.

  3. Sprinkle pounded sugar over the pastry.

  4. Return the pastry to the oven to set the glaze.

  5. Remove the interior or soft crumb.

Fill and serve

  1. Fill the case with strawberries, breaking them up with sufficient sugar.

  2. Place a few spoonfuls of whipped cream on top and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

127Calories
7 gProtein
6 gFat
13 gCarbs

Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 2 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Strawberry1 cup (152g)49
Fruitnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Isabella Beeton. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Strawberry + eggtop 29% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,509 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Puff pastry (in the method)
Forms the light, flaky, hollow case that holds the filling.
Strawberries
Provide the fresh fruit flavour and the main filling.
Egg white
Brushed on the pastry to create a glossy, set glaze.
Sugar (in the method)
Sweetens the strawberries and, sprinkled on top, forms a crisp glaze.

The step that matters

Returning the pastry to the oven to set the glaze. Sugar on the pastry melts and caramelises quickly under heat, so it can burn if left too long. Watching closely lets the glaze set glossy and golden without darkening.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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