Recipe Archives->Appetizers->Vol Au Vents 01

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

3 lb (1 1/2 kg) chicken, with giblets
1 leek, trimmed
1 carrot
1 medium sized onion
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
1 tablespoon (15 ml) salt
pepper
3 pairs sweetbreads, soaked, membranes removed
10 ounces (300 g) fresh button mushrooms
1 tablespoon (15 ml) strined fresh lemon juice
10 tablespoons (150 ml) butter
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) flour
1 1/2 cups (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.

Printable version: vol-au-vents01.txt.