Mushroom Vol Au Vent Food

CREAMY MUSHROOM VOL-AU-VENTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry until it is 4-5mm thick. Using a plain 10cm/4in round cutter, stamp out six rounds. Stamp the centres out of three of these rounds using a plain 6cm/2½in cutter. Discard the centres so you are left with three rounds and three rings.
• Arrange the 10cm/4in rounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each one. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the pastry rounds with beaten egg.
• Top each round with a ring of pastry so the edges match up neatly, press down lightly to join them, then brush the tops with some more beaten egg. Prick the exposed centre with a fork to prevent it from rising too much during baking. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened and fully cooked. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the cream and allow to bubble until it coats the mushrooms in a light sauce. Stir in the Parmesan and most of the chopped herbs and season well.
• Transfer the pastry cases to a serving plate. Fill the centres with the hot mushroom mixture, letting the excess cascade down the sides. Sprinkle over the remaining herbs to serve.

VOL AU VENTS

Steps:

• Put the stock and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and turn off the heat.
• Melt the butter in a saute pan and fry the onions for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until shrunken, dark and golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle over the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until it disappears. Pour over the stock, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in the creme fraiche and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley.
• Spoon the chicken mixture into the vol au vent shells and serve.

MUSHROOM VOL AU VENT

Steps:

• If you would rather not make the pastry you can purchase Vol au Vent shells and can skip the first several steps.
• Roll the pastry out to 1/4 inches thick on a well floured board.
• Cut six 3 inches circles with a pastry cutter. Make a smaller cut 1/4 " inside each case all around but do not cut all the way through.
• Place on ungreased baking tray and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Brush the tops of the cases with the egg and water glaze and bake at 400 degree for 20 minutes or until well risen and golden.
• Cool on a wire rack then carefully remove the lids with a sharp knife and scoop out any uncooked mixture.
• Filling.
• melt the butter in a skillet and add the sliced mushrooms. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
• Blend in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Blend in the milk, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for 2 minutes.
• Season well with salt and pepper.
• Fill the prepared cases with the filling, replace the lids and return to a 400 degree oven for another 10 - 15 minutes. Be careful they do not burn.
• prep time includes making the shells.

WILD MUSHROOM & PARMESAN VOL-AU-VENT FILLING

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the shallots and garlic, and gently sauté for a couple of mins. Remove the porcini mushrooms from the soaking liquid and squeeze out any excess. Roughly chop and add to the pan along with the chestnut mushrooms and thyme. Cook for about 5 mins. If the mixture seems dry, add a little mushroom soaking liquid.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone and Parmesan. Season and leave to cool. Chill until ready to use.
• Divide between 10 vol-au-vent cases and serve scattered with Parmesan shavings and a few thyme leaves.

VOL-AU-VENT WITH CHICKEN, MUSHROOMS AND PEPPER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at 160°C.
• Prepare all your ingredients ready.
• Heat in the oven the vol-au-vent about 12 minutes (if you are not ready with the filling after this time reduce the heat).
• Fry the onions in the margarine for 2 minutes.
• Reduce heat, add the chicken and cook until golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add 1dl wine, herbs, mushrooms, preserved pepper and cream.
• Combine corn starch with water and the remaining wine, then add to the chicken and stir until the sauce thickens. If it is too thick add some tablespoons of water or wine.
• Season it with salt, pepper, soy sauce and Worcestershire at your taste.
• Fill into the vol-au-vent cases and serve hot with some vegetables.
• Note: sometimes I add some vegetables (not only the mushrooms!) like carrots or peas directly to this dish.
• Note: alternative to vol-au-vent cases are fillo baskets. Instructions: Cut fillo sheets into quarters and layer diagonally in greased ramekins, spraying or brushig with olive oil in between layers - 4 squares for each ramekin dish if the sheets are very thin (like fillo for baklava) or 2 squares if they are thicker (like fillo for boureki). Spray or brush again before cooking at 250°F/180°C for in the oven for more or less 8-10 minutes.
• Note: For a vegetarian version skip the chicken and use more veggies. For example the double quantity of mushrooms. Chanterelle mushrooms are wonderful for this recipe (see photo).

CHICKEN AVOCADO AND MUSHROOM VOL-AU-VENTS

Steps:

• Note: I could not get large vol-au-vent cases and used medium ones, they are just too small you can't fit enough filling in so there is too much pastry. For photo purposes I didn't overfill, but if this size is all you can get I suggest over stuffing and pouring extra filling and sauce over the top when dishing out. It doesn't look as pretty but you get a good ratio of filling to pastry and it still tastes delicious. The quantity of filling is for large cases and works well, but is to much for such small cases (hence over stuff). I used 2 cases for myself but gave 3 to my hubby.
• Heat oil in a pan and add onion and garlic, cook until onion softens, add mushrooms and cook until soft. Set aside.
• Wipe pan clean and add some more oil add seasoned breasts and cook both sides until cooked through. Remove and chop chicken into chunks. Set to one side.
• Pour milk in a pan with stock and heat. Add a little water to cornflour mix and pour half of the liquid into the milk, stir until mixture thickens slightly.
• Add wine, Dijon mustard, cayenne and cream stir to combine, add the rest of the cornflour and stir until mixture thickens.
• Return mushrooms, onion and chicken to cream mixture, add the thyme and avocado and stir in gently to combine. Keep hot until serving.
• Place vol-au-vent cases on an oven tray. Bake in a moderate oven about 5 Min's or until heated through.
• To serve place cases on plate and spoon filling into them. I served mine with honeyed carrots and buttery garlic spinach.

RIVKA'S VOL-AU-VENTS

Steps:

• Fry the onion in oil until golden, add the mushrooms and cook until soft.
• Add the mushroom cube dissolved in water.
• Cook a further few minutes, and add the cornflour paste to thicken, if needed.
• (Rivka's comment-- I like the consistency to be fairly thick and creamy, but if you prefer it thinner just add a little water.) To make the cases: Roll our the pastry and cut into circles with a cookie cutter-- you will need to make double the amount of circles than cases needed.
• Cut half the circles with a smaller circle cutter to make an O shape in the center.
• Brush a beaten egg on to the surface of the solid circles, then lay the O shaped circles on tipe and brush again with the egg.
• Bake on greaseproof paper or on oiled baking sheets at 350 degrees F till well risen and golden, about 1/2 an hour.
• Cool and fill with the warm filling and serve.