Ingredients
Cases
- 6large puff pastry vol-au-vent cases
- or 500 g all-butter puff pastry
- 1egg, beaten
Chicken
- 1chicken, or 6 chicken thighs
- 1onion
- 1carrot
- 1leek
- 2bay leaves
- a few peppercorns
Meatballs
- 300 gminced pork and veal
- 1egg
- 2 tbspbreadcrumbs
- grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper
Sauce
- 60 gbutter
- 60 gflour
- 1 litreof the chicken broth
- 150 mldouble cream
- 2egg yolks
- juice of half a lemon
- grated nutmeg
Also
- 300 gbutton mushrooms
- a knob of butter
- chopped parsley
To serve
- frites
- a green salad
Directions
- Poach the chicken with the onion, carrot, leek, bay and peppercorns for about an hour. Skim it as it comes to the boil and keep it at a bare simmer, since the broth becomes the sauce and any fault carries through.
- Lift the chicken out, strain the broth and keep about a litre. Pull the meat off the bones in generous pieces. Pull it into large pieces rather than shredding it finely, since it should be recognisable in the filling.
- Mix the minced meat with the egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg and seasoning. Roll them very small, about the size of a marble. Keep them genuinely small. Poach them in the simmering broth for 8 minutes, then lift them out. Poaching them in the broth rather than frying them keeps them tender and adds their flavour to the sauce.
- Cook them hard and separately so they colour rather than release water into the sauce. Melt the butter, stir in the flour, and cook it for 2 minutes without colouring. Cook the roux out properly but keep it pale, since this sauce should be ivory rather than brown. Whisk in the hot broth gradually. Add it a little at a time and whisk smooth before the next addition, or it will lump.
- Simmer it for 10 minutes, stirring, until it coats a spoon. Now the liaison, which is the step that needs care. Beat the egg yolks with the cream in a bowl. Now temper it: whisk several ladlefuls of the hot sauce into the yolk mixture before it goes into the pan.
- Pour the tempered mixture back into the pan, whisking. Do not let it boil again after the yolks are in. Bring it back only to a bare simmer. Add the lemon juice and nutmeg and season. Now fold in the chicken, meatballs and mushrooms and warm them through gently.
- Cut the inner circle only halfway down, so it rises as a separate lid that lifts off after baking. Brush the tops with egg but keep it off the cut edges. Bake at 200°C until well risen and deep golden, then lift out the lids and scoop out any soft pastry inside. Set each hot case on a plate, fill it generously so the filling spills over, and set the lid on top at an angle.
- Fill them just before serving. The pastry softens within minutes of meeting the sauce, and the contrast is the whole point. Scatter chopped parsley over the top. Serve with frites and a green salad.
Technique
- Koninginnenhapje, queen’s bite, is the Flemish name.
- Shop-bought cases are standard in Belgian home cooking.
- Frites alongside is the normal Belgian service.
Substitutions
- Ready-made vol-au-vent cases.
- Turkey or veal in place of chicken.
Variations
- Made with fish and prawns.
- Made as small canapés.
- Served over rice rather than in pastry, which some canteens do.
History
The puff-pastry case is attributed to Antonin Carême in Paris; Belgium filled it with chicken and meatballs and serves it with fries.
Frequently asked questions
What is Vol-au-vent?
Vol-au-vent is a main from Belgium: puff-pastry case of creamy chicken, mushrooms, tiny meatballs. The puff-pastry case is attributed to Antonin Carême in Paris; Belgium filled it with chicken and meatballs and serves it with fries.
How long does Vol-au-vent take to make?
Vol-au-vent takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Vol-au-vent?
Yes, within limits. Ready-made vol-au-vent cases. Turkey or veal in place of chicken.
What is the most important thing to get right in Vol-au-vent?
Lift the chicken out, strain the broth and keep about a litre. Pull the meat off the bones in generous pieces. Pull it into large pieces rather than shredding it finely, since it should be recognisable in the filling.
