Vol au Vents, although originally from France, are widely used in Italy and even though they were probably more in fashion a few years ago, they are still often found on buffet tables and finger food dinners. I really like them. There is nothing better than biting into a crispy and flaky shell of puff pastry to dig into the smooth creamy filling. Like with all simple recipes that don’t call for many ingredients, you will want to make sure that the ingredients you use are of high quality. I like to make Vol au Vents with home-made puff pastry as they do taste much better. If you want to use store bought puff pastry, make sure you use a good quality brand as the pastry is the star of the recipe. You can fill Vol au Vents with both sweet and savoury fillings. Today I will show you a classic Italian filling made with béchamel sauce and Porcini mushrooms. They can be served either warm or at room temperature and they can be part of a buffet or served as an appetiser for a more formal “seated” dinner. They are perfect for special occasions and would be a great addition to any meal during the upcoming Holiday season, so make sure to bookmark this recipe for later! Enjoy!
Porcini Mushroom Vol au Vents
Porcini Mushroom Vol au Vents - a classic and classy appetiser!
Ingredients
Filling
- 150 gms – 5 oz. porcini mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 200 gms – 7 oz. béchamel sauce
- 3 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
Vol au Vents
- Puff pastry thawed (better if home-made, click here for the recipe)
- Beaten egg
- 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated (optional)
Instructions
Filling
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Chop the garlic clove and put it in a non stick frying pan with the extra virgin olive oil and let it fry on a low fire for 1 minute.
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Add the sliced porcini mushrooms and let them cook for 5 minutes.
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Put the fire off and keep it aside.
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In the meantime prepare the béchamel sauce by following this recipe.
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Mix the béchamel sauce and the mushrooms, add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep aside to cool down.
Vol au Vents
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Divide the puff pastry into 2 pieces and roll out the first one into a 3 mm – 0.1 inch thick sheet. Cut out 12 rounds and prick them with a fork. These will be the bases of your vol au vents and you do not want them to puff up.
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Roll the remaining puff pastry into a 1 cm – 1/3 inch thick sheet. Cut out 12 rounds and then, with a smaller cutter cut out a hole in the middle of each round. These will be the sides of the vol au vents.
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Brush the bases with some beaten egg and top with the thicker round of puff pastry as in the photo. Brush with some more beaten egg.
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Bake in a pre heaten oven at 200°C – 390°F for about 15 minutes or until golden.
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Let the vol au vents cool down, then fill them with the mushroom and béchamel sauce. You can serve them immediately at room temperature, or sprinkle with some finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano and put them to bake in the oven for 5 minutes and serve them warm.
Ah cara I love vol aux vants and many times I dont make I will try your recipe look amazing
When my mama still bake she made her own dough.sadly she is tired to cook now.
But Imsure if I make this recipe she will be happy!
As a child I wasn’t a fan of vol au vents but age kind of changes the flavor choice. Yours look perfect Manu and I like your new Site design, looks great!
Vol au vents go from being in fashion to being old hat and back again. They’re easy to put together and I think look stunning on an appetiser tray. These look amazing!