Sect. 4.-Savoury Patties and Vol-Au-Vents

This is the master method for patty cases rather than a filled recipe: it tells you how to build and bake the shell, and leaves the contents to the cook. Everything hinges on baking the paste empty and filling it afterwards, so the pastry stays crisp.

• Patty-pansSmall shallow tins, commonly a couple of inches across — a modern tartlet or shallow bun tin is the closest match. Line each with rolled puff paste and cap it with a second round of paste, sealing the edges.
• The bread insideThe piece of bread is a blind-baking weight, holding the case open and stopping the base rising into the cavity. Ceramic beans or a foil-and-rice parcel do the same job; if you use bread, a dry crustless cube is easiest to lift out cleanly.
• Oven heatThe recipe gives no oven direction. In a modern oven, puff paste is generally baked hot, around 425-450F, so the layers lift before the butter melts out; a slower oven tends to give greasy, flat cases. Resting the shaped paste in the fridge for about 20 minutes first helps.
• Rich puff pasteIn this period that generally means a full puff — roughly equal weights of butter and flour, given six or seven turns. All-butter frozen puff pastry is an honest substitute; roll it about 1/8 inch thick.
• Removing the lidCut round the top crust while the case is still warm, lift it off as a lid, and scrape out any soft uncooked paste inside. Keep the lid to set back on the filled patty.
• FillingsPeriod patties were commonly filled with a thick, well-reduced mince bound with a stiff sauce — chicken, veal, oyster, lobster or game all appear. It must be thick enough to hold its shape; anything loose will soak the pastry within minutes.
• Hot or coldFill hot cases with hot filling and serve at once. If serving cold, let both case and filling cool completely first, and fill as near to the table as you can manage.
• YieldA 250 g block of puff pastry rolled thin will line and cover roughly six to ten small patty-pans, depending on tin size and trimmings.