Vol-au-Vent, Sweet
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Bake the pastry
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Prepare the puff pastry and bake it until light and puffy.
Fill and glaze
Boil down the syrup of the stewed fruit until very thick.
Fill the baked pastry with the thickened fruit syrup, piling it high in the center.
Dust a little sugar over the top and return it to the oven to glaze, or use a salamander.
Serve once glazed.
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.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Puff pastry
- Bakes into a light, flaky, airy case that holds the filling.
- Stewed fruit
- Supplies the fruit flavor and, once boiled down, a thick sweet syrup for filling.
- Sugar
- Dusted on top, it caramelizes under heat to give a glossy, browned glaze.
The step that matters
Boiling down the fruit syrup until very thick. If the syrup stays thin, it will soak into the pastry and make it soggy, and it will run off the top rather than piling high. Reducing it concentrates the sugars and removes water so it holds its shape.
“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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