Why it works: Lobster and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,095 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
A Vol- Au- Vent
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the pastry
Roll puff pastry to more than 1 inch thick and cut to fit the dish.
Mark the cover 1 inch from the edge and decorate with a knife.
Brush the egg yolk over the pastry and place in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
Bake and fill
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until browned and baked through.
Detach the cover with a knife and scoop out the soft crumb inside.
Turn the vol-au-vent onto clean paper to drain excess butter.
Fill with a rich fricassee or other prepared filling just before serving.
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
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.
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Lobster + saucetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,095 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Lobster + oystertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together255 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Egg + oystertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,103 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sauce + oystertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,233 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + lobstertop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,484 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Puff pastry
- Its layers of butter and dough puff into a light, flaky, hollow case when baked.
- Egg yolk
- Brushed on top, it promotes a glossy, deep golden browning on the pastry.
- Fricassee filling
- Its rich, creamy sauce fills the hollow case and provides moisture and flavour.
- White sauce
- Adds creamy body and moisture to the filling.
The step that matters
Baking until browned and baked through. Puff pastry rises from steam released by melting butter layers. Too little heat gives poor rise and pale, doughy layers, while the pastry must be fully baked to stay crisp rather than soggy once filled.
“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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