Fantasy Vol-au-vent

Name: Fantasy Vol-au-vent
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Puff pastry rectangular 3 rolls; Eggs 1; Shrimp paste 3 ½ tbsp; Mayonnaise 2 tbsp; Ketchup ¼ cup; Chives to taste; Robiola cheese 1.8 oz; Arugula 0.4 oz; Extra virgin olive oil 2 spoonfuls; Prosciutto cotto 6 oz; Cow's milk ricotta cheese 0.7 cup; Ground pistachio to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Makes: 12 pezzi
Cost: Average

PRESENTATION

Fantasy vol-au-vent are a timeless Christmas appetizer that offers a wide range of variations. These crispy puff pastry shells can be filled in many ways, some more creamy than others! Today we offer you 3 delicious versions: 1 vegetarian with arugula and cheese, 1 seafood with shrimp, and 1 meat-based with cooked ham, to satisfy everyone's tastes. You can serve them for Christmas lunch or for the Christmas Eve dinner. The preparations are all simple and making them will be a breeze, you can use ready-made shells for a quick Christmas appetizer, but we also show you how to make them at home with ready-made puff pastry! Along with the puff pastry Christmas tree, vol-au-vent are a must on holiday tables, also perfect for enjoying standing up!

Try these other appetizers with puff pastry:

Stuffed vol-au-vent
Savory croissants
Pumpkin vol-au-vent
Puff pastry mini pizzas
Savory profiteroles

INGREDIENTS

for 12 vol-au-vents: Puff pastry 3 rolls - rectangular; Eggs 1

For the shrimp filling (for 4 vol-au-vents): Shrimp paste 3 ½ tbsp (50 g); Mayonnaise 2 tbsp (30 g); Ketchup ¼ cup (50 g); Chives to taste

for the robiola and arugula filling (for 4 vol-au-vents): Robiola cheese 1.8 oz (50 g); Arugula 0.4 oz (10 g); Extra virgin olive oil 2 spoonfuls

for the ham filling: Prosciutto cotto 6 oz (170 g); Cow's milk ricotta cheese 0.7 cup (150 g); Ground pistachio to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Fantasy Vol-au-vent

To prepare the fantasy vol-au-vent, roll out the first sheet of puff pastry on a flat surface. Then, using a pastry cutter with a diameter of 2.5 inches, cut out 12 discs 1. Do the same with the other 2 sheets of puff pastry. You will cut out a total of 36 discs. Place 12 discs on a baking tray and prick them with a fork 2. With a 1.5 inch pastry cutter, cut holes in the other 24, creating rings 3. Tip: do not discard the central disc; you can bake it as well, brushing it with egg and enriching it with sesame seeds or grated cheese.

Brush each pricked disc with beaten egg using a brush, then place a ring on it and brush again with the egg 4. Place another ring on top 5 and brush one last time with the beaten egg 6. Each vol-au-vent will require: 1 full disc and 2 rings, for a total of 3 layers. With these quantities, you will make 12 vol-au-vent.

Bake the shells in a preheated static oven at 390°F in the lower part for about 15 minutes. Once they are golden brown, take them out 7 and let them cool, preferably on a wire rack 8. Once completely cold, use a teaspoon to press down the puff pastry in the center, which will have puffed up during baking 9.

This way you will create a cavity to fill 10. Now start with the fillings. For the vegetarian one, add the robiola cheese and oil to a mixer 11. Also add the arugula 12.

Blend everything until you get a smooth cream 13. For the shrimp filling: add them to a pan with a drizzle of oil 14. Season them with salt and pepper 15.

Sauté them quickly for a few minutes until they are well browned 16, then transfer them to a bowl. Let them cool slightly and add ketchup and mayonnaise 17. Chop chives into the mix as well 18.

Mix well and this filling is ready too 19. To prepare the last filling, add ricotta cheese 20 and cooked ham 21 to the mixer.

Blend everything until you get a smooth cream 22. Your 3 fillings are ready 23, transfer both the ham and vegetarian fillings into two separate piping bags. Use a spoon to fill 4 vol-au-vent with the shrimp filling 24.

Then fill 4 with the arugula filling 25 and another 4 with the cooked ham filling 26. The vol-au-vent are ready to serve 27.

Storage

When freshly made, the shells will definitely be more crispy, but you can also prepare them a day in advance.

However, we recommend filling the vol-au-vent shortly before serving them.

Advice

You can get creative and use ingredients you love most. Caramelized pears and taleggio cheese, bell peppers, onions, and casera cheese, primosale cheese, and baby spinach. Let your imagination run wild! With the excess puff pastry, brush it with a sun-dried tomato pesto and bake for 15 minutes at 390°F and serve it as an appetizer.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.