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Vol-au-vent
Belgian chicken, mushroom and meatball ragout in puff pastry
In Belgium a vol-au-vent is not a party nibble but a full plate: a big puff-pastry case filled with creamy chicken ragout, button mushrooms and tiny meatballs, served with chips in Brussels brasseries and for family celebrations and Sunday lunches all over the country. The little meatballs are made with pork mince, so this dish contains pork. The sauce is built on the poaching stock from the chicken, which gives it far more flavour than milk. A mistake many cooks make is filling the pastry too early, so the base turns soggy; fill the cases just before they go to the table. Chef's tip: poach the meatballs in the same stock as the chicken; they take just 5 minutes and season the broth further.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken and stock
For the meatballs
For the sauce and to serve
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Put 4 ¼ cups water, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1 onion, 1 bay leaf and 1 chicken stock cube in a pan and bring to the boil. Add 1 ⅓ lb chicken breasts and thighs, boneless, lower to a bare simmer and poach for 20 minutes, until a thick piece is white right through and reads 165°F.
20 minStep 2: Lift out the chicken, let it cool slightly and cut or tear it into bite-sized pieces. Keep the stock simmering.
Step 3: Mix 7 oz pork mince, 2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs, 1 egg, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Roll into marble-sized balls (about 25).
Step 4: Drop the meatballs into the simmering stock and cook for 5–6 minutes until they float and are firm and cooked through (160°F). Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Strain the stock and measure 700 ml.
6 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Melt a third of ½ oz butter in a large pan over a medium-high heat and fry 9 oz button mushrooms for 5 minutes until browned and their liquid has gone. Set aside.
5 minStep 6: Melt the rest of 1 ¼ oz butter in the same pan, stir in 1 ¾ oz plain flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot stock gradually until smooth, then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until thick.
7 minStep 7: Stir in ½ cup single cream, the chicken, meatballs and mushrooms and heat through for 3–4 minutes until piping hot. Season with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground white pepper.
4 minStep 8: Meanwhile, warm 4 large puff pastry vol-au-vent cases in the oven for 5–6 minutes until crisp.
6 minStep 9: Set each case on a plate, fill it to overflowing with the ragout, top with its pastry lid and ⅓ oz fresh parsley and serve at once with chips. Keep leftover filling (not the pastry) in the fridge for 2 days and reheat until bubbling.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 51 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 45 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vol-au-vent take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of celery stick?
- Fennel, same weight.
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