PASTRIES & VARIATIONS: Chicken vol-au-vent is a traditional French dish that makes excellent use of the puff pastry dough. Please try out my version of it.

CHICKEN VOL-AU-VENT:

 

 

 

1 quantity of prepared puff pastry, see posted basic recipe                                  

filling:

    2 cups diced cooked chicken

    1 cup cooked button mushrooms

    1/3 cup butter                                                         

    2 drops lemon juice

    2/3 cup flour                                                           

    ¼ cup white wine                                        

    2 ½ cups hot chicken stock or water                       

    1 egg yolk

    salt and pepper                                           

    ¼ cup 10% cream

egg wash--1 egg beaten with equal amount of cold water

   

 

 

 

Roll out pastry to ¼-inch thickness. Cut pastry into rounds using a fluted pastry cutter.  Pad scrapes of pastry together and cut smaller rounds to use as “lid” for the shells.  Lay out pastry on baking sheets, giving room for each pastry to expand.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush pastry with egg-wash. Sprinkle and moisten baking tray with a bit of cold water. Bake until golden and well risen, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool.

 

To make filling:  Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook roux, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add white wine, whisking in well, and then the hot chicken stock, a little at a time, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, whisking constantly to make sauce smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover saucepan and cook sauce at a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken, mushroom, salt and pepper to taste and the lemon juice. Cook until heated through.

 

Remove pan from heat. Mix egg yolk and cream together and stir mixture into hot sauce. Cool completely; then fill pastry shells with filling. Cover filling with “lid” pieces to serve.