Vol-au-Vent
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the case
Remove the coarse crust from the dish.
Line the edges and sides of the dish with puff pastry.
Fill and bake
Pour in a small quantity of strong gravy.
Cover with more pastry and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until the pastry is firm.
Ensure the oven has good bottom heat and is evenly heated.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry rises and is golden brown.
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 flaky shell that rises and browns in the oven as its layered fat and water produce steam.
- Strong gravy
- Fills the case with savoury moisture and flavour, which the pastry shell holds in place.
The step that matters
Bake until the pastry is fully set and golden. Puff pastry rises because steam from water in its layers lifts the dough while the fat melts. Good bottom heat sets the base before the gravy soaks it, so an underbaked base turns soggy and collapses.
“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.
More vol-au-vent recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 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.