VOL-AU-VENT

CHICKEN VOL-AU-VENT

Ingredients:

3 lb. (1 1/2 kg) chicken, with giblets
1 leek, trimmed
1 carrot
1 medium size onion
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
1 T. (15 ml) salt
Pepper
3 pairs sweetbreads, soaked, membranes removed
10 oz. (300 g) fresh button mushrooms
1 T. (15 ml) strained fresh lemon juice
10 T. (150 ml) butter
1 1/4 C. (300 ml) flour
1 1/2 C. (375 ml) heavy cream
6 fully baked 6-inch (15 cm) vol-au-vent cases

Put the chicken in a pot with the giblets and cover with cold
water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and skim the surface.
Tie the leek and carrot together; cut slits in the onion and stick
the bay leaves through them, then stud the onion with the cloves.
Add the leek, carrot and onion to the pot. Season with salt and
pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the sweetbreads and continue cooking for 30 more minutes,
or until chicken is tender.

Cook the mushrooms in 1/2 cup (125 ml) water and the lemon
juice for 5 minutes; drain, reserving cooking liquid.

In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and cook roux over
low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Remove the chicken and sweetbreads from their pot and cool.
Return the liquid to heat and boil it, uncovered over high heat to
reduce it to about 1 quart (1 liter); strain it into the roux. Beat this
sauce until smooth and simmer for 30 minutes.

Warm the vol-au-vent cases in a preheated 300F (150C) oven for
10 minutes. Skin and bone the chicken, then cut the chicken meat,
sweetbreads and mushrooms into 1/2 inch (1 cm) dice.

Stir the cream into the sauce and simmer it slowly, uncover, until
it is reduced and thickened. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin
it with some of the mushroom cooking liquid. Strain the sauce
through a fine sieve into a pan and add the diced chicken,
sweetbreads and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and adjust seasoning.
Spoon into vol-au-vent cases, passing any leftover separately from
a sauceboat.


Seafood Vol-au-vent:

Cook shrimp, mussels, asparagus tips and chopped sweet red
pepper and add to a rich fish sauce (like a veloute). Use to fill
vol-au-vent cases.


CHICKEN VOL-AU-VENT

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. butter or oleo
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 c. light cream
1 (6 oz.) can sliced
mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. dry white wine
6 Brown N’ Serve sausages
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen patty
shells, thawed (6 shells)

Brown the chicken in butter. Dissolve bouillon cube in
1/2 cup hot water. Add to chicken. Cover and simmer until
tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove chicken from broth; cool and
remove bones carefully. Measure broth and add water to equal
1 cup liquid. Return to skillet. Combine flour, paprika, 1/4
teaspoon salt and dash of pepper. Stir in cream. Add to
broth; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in
mushrooms and wine. Place a sausage in bone cavity of each
thigh.

On floured surface, roll each patty shell to a 6-inch
square. Place thigh in center of each and top with 2 table-
spoons sauce. Fold pastry over and seal; fold ends to center
and seal. Place seam side down, in baking dish. Brush with
additional cream. Bake at 400 degrees until golden, 30 minutes.

Heat remaining sauce; pass.

Serves 6.


CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM VOL-AU-VENT

Ingredients:

1 lb. (450g) puff pastry
5lb. (2.25kg) chicken and giblets, washed and cleaned
1 small onion, skinned
1 carrot, peeled
8 oz. (225g) mushroom, washed and sliced
Quarter pint of single cream
1 chicken stock cube
Half a pint (280ml) milk
2 oz. (50g) butter
2 bay leaves

  1. Put the chicken and giblets into a large saucepan then add
    bay leaves, salt, pepper, onion and carrots.

  2. Add water, cover the saucepan and cook over a gentle heat
    for one and a half to two hours or until the chicken is tender.

  3. Heat the oven to 450F, Gas Mark 8, 240C.

  4. On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to half to three
    quarters of an inch (1-1.5cms) thick.

  5. Cut out an 11 inch (28cm) round and put on a baking sheet.

  6. Cut a 9 inch (23cm) round in the center of the pastry, this time
    only cutting nearly through the pastry and brush the trop with milk.

  7. Cook in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes, until the
    pastry is well risen.

8.Allow to cool on a wire rack then cut out the lid.

  1. Carefully scoop out the uncooked pastry from the middle.

  2. Take the chicken out of the stock and cut the meat into
    manageable chunks.

  3. Save half a pint (285ml) of chicken stock for the filling.

  4. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat gently until it melts.

  5. Add the flour, stir and cook for about 2 minutes then stir in the
    chicken stock and milk.

  6. Crumble the chicken stock cube, add to the pan and bring to
    the boil while stirring.

  7. Reduce the heat, add the mushrooms and stir for a further
    10 minutes before stirring in the chicken and cream.

  8. Place the vol-au-vent casing on a serving plate, fill with the
    chicken and mushroom filling and gently replace the lid.


CREAMED EGG & HAM VOL-AU-VENT

Makes 24 Appetizers

Ingredients:

24 precooked Vol-au-Vents cases
5 eggs, beaten
50g/2oz. butter
25g/1oz. ham, chopped
1 T. freshly chopped parsley
1 T. double cream

  1. Preheat the oven to 140C, 275F, Gas mark 1. Place the
    vol-au-vent cases on a baking tray.

  2. Heat the butter in saucepan, add the eggs and stir gently until the
    egg begins to just set.

  3. Remove from heat and stir in the ham, parsley and cream until
    well blended.

  4. Spoon mixture into cases and serve immediately or place in the
    oven to keep warm.

B-man :wink: