Creamy mushroom vol-au-vents
There’s a reason why mushroom vol-au-vents – crisp, golden puff pastry with a creamy filling – will always be popular: they’re delicious! Serve them as a first course or light lunch – or see the recipe tip for making canapé sized vol-au-vents.
Equipment: you will need a 10cm/4in and a 6cm/2½in plain round cutter.
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb 2oz block ready-made puff pastry
- plain flour, for dusting
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp butter
- 400g/14oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
- 175ml/6fl oz single cream
- 4 tbsp finely grated Parmesan, or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese
- few sprigs fresh parsley and tarragon, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
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.
Recipe Tips
If you want canapé sized vol-au-vents, you can use smaller cutters (7cm/2¾in and 4cm/1½in cutters would work well) and chop the mushrooms finely.
