Vol Au Vent
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the base
Roll out Tart Paste until ⅛ inch thick.
Cut out shapes with a tin cutter the size of your serving dish and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the shapes with egg yolk.
Assemble and bake
Roll out Puff Paste to 1 inch thick, cut with the same cutter, and place on top of the Tart Paste.
Use a smaller cutter to press a shape in the center of the Puff Paste without cutting through.
Brush the top with egg yolk and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 20 minutes until light brown.
Fill and serve
Remove the paste from the center, keeping the top intact.
Place the top on a warm dish and fill with a White Fricassee of Chicken, Rabbit, Ragout of Sweetbread, or any other filling you prefer.
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
- Tart paste
- Forms the sturdy, crisp base that holds the filling.
- Puff paste
- Rises in the oven into flaky, layered walls around the center well.
- Egg yolk
- Brushed on before baking to promote an even golden browning.
The step that matters
Pressing the center without cutting through. If the smaller cutter goes through the Puff Paste, the walls cannot rise evenly and the top may split or collapse, leaving no sturdy lid to hold the filling.
“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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