Homemade Vol-au-vent
I’ve always enjoyed pastries ever since I was a little girl 👧. What’s not to like?
When it came to desserts, Chocolate Éclairs, Mille-Feuille and Profiteroles were my favorites! Things haven’t changed much as they are still my top choices. The only difference is I make sure to only make them when I have company coming over otherwise I could eat them all on my own, lol 😅!
There is another pastry that has also been my favorite but this one can be used in both savory 🐓 and sweet recipes. It’s Vol-au-vent! If you are not familiar with them, let me describe them for you…
Vol-au-vents are small hollow shells made with puff pastry. They are made up of two circles 🔘 and one of them has another smaller circle in the center that is stacked on top of the other one. By cutting a smaller circle in it, it allows you to remove it after it’s done baking, stuff the hollow pastry with cooked ingredients & sauce, and then place that little circle back on top.
There are many recipes this pastry can be used in like Chicken à la King or Cheesy Chicken Vol-au-vent, Escargot con Funghi in Vol-au-vent, Breakfast Scramble Vol-au-vent topped with my delicious avocado sauce 🥑, and many more.
Interestingly enough, it’s mostly served as a savory dish and rarely for sweet dishes. This food vessel can be filled with berries, a nice apple and cinnamon mixture, a scrumptious chocolate mousse, etc. I have an incredible dessert recipe where I use this pastry for my fruit custard which I will eventually post so stay tuned!
Although the shape is usually round, nothing is stopping you from making them octagonal, square 🟪 or rectangular… have fun with your French pastry! Now, if you want to use the same sizes as mine in the video, here are my cookie cutter dimensions: the green cookie cutter is 3 1/16-inch or 78mm and the little white one is 1 7/8-inch or 48mm.
Until a few years ago, I’d never made vol-au-vent before as I was buying 🛒 them from my supermarket until they stopped carrying them. I was forced to find a way to recreate this pastry and this is how I came up with this homemade recipe. They don’t look perfect – honestly I’m fine with that – but they sure do taste amazing!
Next time you need an airy, fluffy and buttery food vessel for your recipe, try this easy Vol-au-vent. You’ll see just how fun and delicious they are plus they make a nice presentation.
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Check out these other homemade food vessel recipes… 😀
– Sardine Cups
– Hot Dog Buns
– Arepas with Beef Brisket
– Edible Cheese Bowls
– Indian Naan Bread
– Hamburger Buns
and for delicious appetizer recipes 🍣, click on this link… Recipe Category • Appetizers
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Homemade Vol-au-vent
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 1 large free-run egg yolk, beaten
- 1 tbsp. milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Remove one sheet from the puff pastry package and let it thaw out.
- Stretch the sheet out on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat and using a cookie cutter (3 1/16-inch or 78 mm), cut out the circles. There will be some dough left so roll it out and cut a couple more circles.
- Using a smaller cookie cutter (1 7/8-inch or 48 mm), cut the center of only 4 of the 8 circles.
- Brush all eight circles with an egg wash (egg yolk mixed with milk).
- Take the circles with the smaller ones in the middle and stack them on top of the ones without the smaller circles.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the heat and using a pointed knife, remove the small circle, leaving a hollow shell. Proceed with your recipe.
Don't forget to rate and comment on this recipe!
Wondering if these can be frozen to be used at a later date?
Hello Andrea☺ Absolutely. After they’re cooked, bring them to room temperature and place them in a container before transferring to the freezer. When it’s time to use them, thaw them in the fridge and then place the vol-au-vent in the oven at 250ºF to warm them up. Have a fabulous day🌞