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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Prepare the puff pastry.
Bake it until light and puffed.
Fill and glaze
Boil down the fruit compote syrup until very thick.
Fill the baked pastry with the thickened fruit compote, piling it high in the center.
Dust a little sugar over the top.
Return it to the oven to glaze, or use a salamander.
Serve warm.
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
- Forms the light, flaky, crisp shell that holds the filling.
- Fruit compote
- Supplies the sweet, fruity filling; reducing its syrup thickens it so it holds a high pile.
- Sugar
- Dusted on top, it caramelizes under heat to give a browned, glossy glaze.
The step that matters
Boil down the fruit compote syrup until very thick. If the syrup stays thin, it soaks into the pastry and runs off instead of holding a high pile. Reducing it concentrates the sugar and pectin so the filling sets thick and stays in the shell.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.