Vol-au-vent’s have been around awhile. I however, have just discovered them.
We finally celebrated my early June birthday a few weeks ago and one of my birthday gifts from my foodie friends Josh and Kiira was a cook book called ‘The Illustrated Kitchen Bible – 1,000 family recipes from around the world’. In the cookbook, I stumbled upon this little French savory pastry called Vol-au-vent. I kept coming back to that recipe several times over the next week and then I finally decided to make them. They looked easy, they looked versatile and most of all they looked delicious. So much so that I have to share it with you.
Vol-au-vent’s reportedly were invented by pastry chef Antonin Careme in Paris 200 years ago. The name is derived from the French word ‘windblown’ which describes the pastry’s light, airy qualities. There are several methods to making and filling vol-au-vent – some add the filling before baking and some cut out the baked pastry and fill it after. Either way will work , I did the former.
I can’t help but take this opportunity to share a bit of my approach to cooking. I appreciate recipes but I always change them up. I do my own thing. I blaze my own trail. This recipe is no different. It is inspired by a recipe but at the same time it’s totally my creation. With that said, you have the freedom to add and change up parts of the filling or do something totally different.
That’s the brilliant part of cooking, the creativity. So feel the freedom to create something awesome of your own.
Here is the step by step and recipe.
The pork sausage. This stuff is so good and I have no idea why.
The diced red onions.
The Crimini mushrooms.
Also known as Baby Bellas. They are miniature Portabellas.
The bowl with all of the good stuff – sausage, garlic, onions, Parmesan, parsley and cream cheese.
Mix it all up and set aside.
Here is the key to getting the pastry to puff up – making little indentations with a smaller round.
Next up, you want to place your mixture into the center of the pastry.
Be sure to brush the egg mixture around the pastry – this helps the pastry to brown up and look glossy.
A close up of my Vol-au-Vents hot out of the oven.
Prettiness.
More prettiness.
Really close up.
I was bad. I finished them up with some more parsley and truffle oil.
Any excuse to use truffle oil.
Yeah, that was me. I had to take a bite. I can’t describe how amazingly tasty these little things are.
I hope you get a chance to make these soon!
much love,
jess
Mushroom and Sausage Vol-au- Vents
2 sheets puff pastry
1 flat of crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
1/3 lb hot pork sausage
½ onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup dry white wine
8oz cream cheese
1 egg
¾ cup Parmesan, finely grated
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
½ teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten for egg wash
Heat your oven to 375 degrees.
Over medium high heat, cook and break up your pork sausage in non-stick sauté pan. Once cooked set aside in a large bowl. Next add your diced onions and cook down, about 5 minutes. Add in your crimini mushrooms and cook down until tender. Next add your minced garlic. Deglaze pan with your dry white wine, making sure to scrape all of the brown out of the pan – approximately 5 minutes. Take the mixture and add it into the bowl with the sausage. Add the cream cheese, egg, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir all ingredients together and set aside.
Roll out your pastry, and cut out pastry rounds with a round pastry cutter. Place on parchment or silicon baking mat lined sheet pan. Take a smaller round pastry cutter and make indentations in the center of the pastry rounds making sure not to cut all the way through the pastry. Add filling into the smaller round indentations of the pastry.
Take a small pastry brush and brush the outsides of the pastry with the two beaten eggs. Place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Recipe yield is 24.
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