Vol au vent with GORGONZOLA cream
VOL AU VENT with GORGONZOLA cream
A finger food to eat in a single bite, perfect both for an aperitif, as a starter and also for a standing dinner.
I love vol au vent because they lend themselves to a thousand different fillings.
The one I personally prefer, for the contrast it creates between the crispness of the shell and the warm, enveloping filling inside, is based on a cheese cream.
The version I suggest today uses gorgonzola cheese to which, before serving, you can add a small drop of honey to contrast and balance the texture of this tasty and slightly sharp cheese.
You can decide to prepare the vol au vent by hand or buy them ready-made and just fill them; in any case it will be a hit.
Be careful not to dive in too quickly though… wait a second before biting them or you might do like I did and burn yourself like a “Fantozzi meatball!”.
VOL AU VENT with GORGONZOLA cream
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- puff pastry (rectangular, 2 sheets)
- ready-made vol au vents (as an alternative)
- 5.3 oz gorgonzola (sweet or spicy)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp whole milk (about 20 ml)
- 3 tbsp + 1 tsp heavy cream (about 50 ml)
- honey (to taste)
- walnut halves (to taste)
Preparation
Obviously, instead of making the Vol au Vent at home, to speed up the recipe you can opt to buy ready-made ones available at the supermarket
Unroll the puff pastry, then cut about 24 circles using a round cutter about 2 in (5 cm) in diameter. Put 12 aside — these will be the bases of your vol-au-vent.
With a smaller round cutter (about 1 3/16 in — 3 cm) create a hole in the remaining 12 circles, removing the pastry from the center of each circle. This will create rings that you will layer on top of the bases you set aside earlier.
Take the 12 bases, brush the edges with beaten egg yolk, stick a ring on top of each base, then press gently so the two parts adhere well.
Prick the inner part with a fork to prevent it from puffing up during baking.
Bake in a preheated convection oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 15 minutes. They should become puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool before filling.
Cut the gorgonzola into fairly small cubes, place them in a small saucepan with the milk and cream and heat over low heat. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn or separate — it should just melt gently; this will take 3-4 minutes at most. Once melted, let it cool slightly so it firms up a little before filling the vol au vent.
Fill the vol au vent with a spoon without exceeding the top edge, otherwise the filling might spill out while baking. A few seconds before serving, place them under the preheated oven grill for no more than 30 seconds so the puff pastry becomes crisp again.
If desired, garnish with a drop of honey and a small piece of walnut.
Serve hot.
STORAGE
The vol au vent with gorgonzola cream should be eaten immediately once filled.
The empty bases, however, can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Alternatively, they can be frozen.
TIPS and VARIATIONS
Depending on your taste you can choose to use sweet or spicy gorgonzola.
Alternatively you can replace the gorgonzola with a good Fontina PDO or a Raschera.
Another tasty pairing besides honey/walnuts can be fig/almond jam or onion jam (for the recipe click here Marmellata Cipolle Tropea)
A Tavola con Tea on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/atavolacontea_
Here are other ideas for filling vol au vent
Puff Pastry Baskets (VOL AU VENT) with SHRIMP
Puff Pastry Baskets VOL AU VENT with CHEESE FONDUE
What are vol au vent called in Italian?
VOL AU VENT (literally “flight to the wind”) are very light baskets — hence the name — made of several layers of puff pastry brushed with egg and baked in the oven.
Who invented the vol au vent?
The origin of the VOL AU VENT is generally attributed to the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême, the inventor of this recipe, who is said to have replaced a heavier dough with a lighter one for the preparation of small savory finger foods.
How much do vol au vent cost?
If you decide to buy ready-made vol au vent, you can find them in most supermarkets and their cost is around €4.00 per pack that contains 12 pieces.
Where can you buy vol au vent?
Ready-to-fill Vol au vent can be found in most supermarkets and large chains such as Iper Coop, Esselunga, Conad, to name a few.
How long do vol au vent last?
Storage of Vol au Vent. Homemade vol au vent that are still to be filled last, kept in an airtight container, up to 5 days. Once filled it depends on what you used to fill them; in any case it is advisable to keep them refrigerated and consume them at most the next day. They CANNOT be frozen once filled.
How soon should you fill the vol au vent?
If you have just prepared them, wait for the discs to cool before filling. If, instead, you want to serve hot and melty vol au vent, fill them just before putting them in the oven and then serve a few minutes after removing them, to avoid them being too hot.
