Home › The Principles of Cookery › Vol-Au-Vent

Vol-Au-Vent

A vol-au-vent presents one of the handsomest forms in which the remains of dishes can be served. It is generally filled with a mince, or ragout, or fricassee--or whatever other preparation may be chosen--of cooked meat; and after the vol-au-vent case is made, there is abundant opportunity for the cook to display her skill, either in the richness and delicacy, or in the savoury nature of its contents. A vol-au-vent can be made successfully only with the lightest puff-paste. Full directions are given for making this under PASTE, PUFF, OR FEUILLETAGE. It should be remembered that the puff-paste of which a vol-au-vent is made will be much better if it is prepared an hour or two before it is wanted, and placed in a cool situation till required. If the puff-paste is not exceedingly light, the vol-au-vent will not rise properly, and so will have a very bad appearance. In rolling it, care must be taken to keep it perfectly square and even at the ends, as unless this is done the pastry cannot rise evenly. The pastry for a vol-au-vent ought to have six turns, and five minutes should be allowed to elapse between each turn. After it has been turned five times, brush the pastry over with lemon-juice, and when it is doubled for the last time, fold it in such a way that, when finished, it will be the exact size of the inside of the dish in which it is to be served, and a little more than an inch thick. Cut it evenly all round with a knife that has been made hot in water, so as not to drag the pastry. Place a stewpan lid, or any other shape of a suitable size, within an inch and a half of the outer edge of the pastry, and with a sharp knife make an incision a quarter of an inch deep all round the edge of the lid. Press the inner circle away from the outer one with the point of the knife to prevent them closing again; this inner circle, when baked, will form the cover of the vol-au-vent. Put the vol-au-vent in a well-heated oven; in half an hour or three-quarters of an hour, if it should appear baked through, take it out of the oven, lift up the cover with the point of a knife where it has been marked, and scoop out the soft crummy centre without at all injuring the walls of the case. It will be evident that if it should be injured in this way, the rich sauce of the ragout with which it is filled will ooze through the sides and spoil its appearance. Put it in the oven a few minutes longer to dry it, fill with the savoury mince, put the cover on, and serve on a napkin. Careful attention should be paid to the condition of the oven in which a vol-au-vent is baked; if it is not well heated, the pastry cannot possibly rise; if the heat is too fierce, the surface will be set before the heat has penetrated through the pastry, and this also will keep it from rising. When it has risen a couple of inches, and before it acquires any colour, cover the vol-au-vent with paper to keep it from browning too quickly. If accidentally the walls of the vol-au-vent should receive any injury, a little piece of pastry should be stuck upon the thin place with white of egg. The appearance of the vol-au-vent will be improved if it is brushed over with egg after it has risen in the oven. Time to bake the vol-au-vent, half an hour to three-quarters of an hour. Sufficient, three-quarters of a pound to one pound of puff-paste for a good-sized vol-au-vent.