Majida Rashid
Last month I had the urge to eat vol-au-vents filled with crème pâtissière (see link below to my recipe for crème pâtissière). I wanted to relive the time when I used to make this dessert, invite friends over, and serve them with coffee. So, I made the crème and then I searched high and low for vol-au-vent frozen cases. But I couldn’t find any. I even showed the pictures of vol-au-vents to several supermarkets’ employees. But no one had any idea. Alas, I’m not the one to give up my search! Finally, I found them after several days.
I immediately purchased them and happily came home and baked them. Then I filled them with the crème pâtissière. I was a bit disappointed because the puff pastry shells were rather heavy. The experience shattered the image of having a good time while eating vol-au-vent with friends and drinking coffee.
While the French are known for giving exotic names to food, seeing them sold as puff pastry shells was a little strange. The name vol-au-vents translates as ‘flight in the wind’ in English. Like the shells sold in supermarkets, they are also made from puff pastry. But they are fluffy, light and airy, hence the name. Nineteenth-century French baker Antonin Carême is known for making vol-au-vents that are hollow in the middle.
Despite my disappointment, I yearned to eat vol-au-vents. I decided to make some at home. However, instead of making vol-au-vents, I took an easier route and baked my own pastry cases. Then I filled them with delicious crème pâtissière and enjoyed every bite with my special coffee.
While these puff pastry cases may not be exactly like vol-au-vents, they are light and crispy and easy to make. All one needs is to roll out the pastry, cut into circles, mold into cases and blind bake them. Blind baking results in cases that are hollow with a thin and crisp crust that is much lighter than the puff pastry shells sold in stores. Sweet or savory fillings can be used to fill these cases.
These hollow cases are delicious even without any filling. They can be stored in a Tupperware container, at room temperature, for a couple of days. Before using the stored ones, it’s good to heat them in a preheated oven at 250ºF for about 10 minutes.
Puff Pastry Cases
(Serves 12)
Directions
1 frozen puff pastry packet with 2 ready to use sheets
All-purpose flour to dust the working surface
Crème pâtissière, recipe was given in a previous column (https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Articles?DataId=1588651)
Blueberries, slices of strawberries or fruit of your choice for decoration
Thaw the pastry at room temperature for a few hours.
Dust the working surface with all-purpose flour.
Roll out one sheet at a time.
Cut each sheet into six to eight circles big enough to cover the tart molds or muffin pans.
Lightly perforate them with a fork.
Carefully lift each circle and place it in the pan.
Gently press the sides and the bottom of the pastry against the pan. This would prevent the pastry from sagging towards the center.
Place a piece of parchment paper in the base of the pastry.
Put beans or lentils over the parchment paper, making sure they cover the base until the edges.
Pinch together the top of the pastry at a small interval.
Refrigerate for half an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove the pastry cases from the refrigerator and bake them in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
The top should turn golden brown. If not, then bake for further 3-5 minutes.
Take them out of the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
Assembly
Meanwhile, whip the crème well to get light texture if it has been made a day earlier.
A little bit of whipped cream mixed with the crème will make it lighter.
Remove the beans and the parchment paper from the cases and transfer them onto a plate.
Fill them with the crème pâtissière.
Decorate with a few blueberries or sliced strawberries.
Serve with coffee.
—————
Foodie Majida Rashid lives in Texas. Food and cooking are her passion. Her presentation about her love of food can be viewed on USA Today’s network: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=l0xi566VSPo – We Spread Love Through Food @Frontiers_Of_Flavor. Her philosophical writing can be read at apakistaniwomansjourney.wordpress.com.
I immediately purchased them and happily came home and baked them. Then I filled them with the crème pâtissière. I was a bit disappointed because the puff pastry shells were rather heavy. The experience shattered the image of having a good time while eating vol-au-vent with friends and drinking coffee.
While the French are known for giving exotic names to food, seeing them sold as puff pastry shells was a little strange. The name vol-au-vents translates as ‘flight in the wind’ in English. Like the shells sold in supermarkets, they are also made from puff pastry. But they are fluffy, light and airy, hence the name. Nineteenth-century French baker Antonin Carême is known for making vol-au-vents that are hollow in the middle.
Despite my disappointment, I yearned to eat vol-au-vents. I decided to make some at home. However, instead of making vol-au-vents, I took an easier route and baked my own pastry cases. Then I filled them with delicious crème pâtissière and enjoyed every bite with my special coffee.
While these puff pastry cases may not be exactly like vol-au-vents, they are light and crispy and easy to make. All one needs is to roll out the pastry, cut into circles, mold into cases and blind bake them. Blind baking results in cases that are hollow with a thin and crisp crust that is much lighter than the puff pastry shells sold in stores. Sweet or savory fillings can be used to fill these cases.
These hollow cases are delicious even without any filling. They can be stored in a Tupperware container, at room temperature, for a couple of days. Before using the stored ones, it’s good to heat them in a preheated oven at 250ºF for about 10 minutes.
Puff Pastry Cases
(Serves 12)
Directions
1 frozen puff pastry packet with 2 ready to use sheets
All-purpose flour to dust the working surface
Crème pâtissière, recipe was given in a previous column (https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Articles?DataId=1588651)
Blueberries, slices of strawberries or fruit of your choice for decoration
Thaw the pastry at room temperature for a few hours.
Dust the working surface with all-purpose flour.
Roll out one sheet at a time.
Cut each sheet into six to eight circles big enough to cover the tart molds or muffin pans.
Lightly perforate them with a fork.
Carefully lift each circle and place it in the pan.
Gently press the sides and the bottom of the pastry against the pan. This would prevent the pastry from sagging towards the center.
Place a piece of parchment paper in the base of the pastry.
Put beans or lentils over the parchment paper, making sure they cover the base until the edges.
Pinch together the top of the pastry at a small interval.
Refrigerate for half an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove the pastry cases from the refrigerator and bake them in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
The top should turn golden brown. If not, then bake for further 3-5 minutes.
Take them out of the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
Assembly
Meanwhile, whip the crème well to get light texture if it has been made a day earlier.
A little bit of whipped cream mixed with the crème will make it lighter.
Remove the beans and the parchment paper from the cases and transfer them onto a plate.
Fill them with the crème pâtissière.
Decorate with a few blueberries or sliced strawberries.
Serve with coffee.
—————
Foodie Majida Rashid lives in Texas. Food and cooking are her passion. Her presentation about her love of food can be viewed on USA Today’s network: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=l0xi566VSPo – We Spread Love Through Food @Frontiers_Of_Flavor. Her philosophical writing can be read at apakistaniwomansjourney.wordpress.com.
