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Chicken and Mushroom Vol au Vents

method

1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C.
2. Use 9cm cutter to stamp out as many rounds as possible from sheet of puff pastry. Using leftovers, pile pieces, flat on top of each other (don’t scrunch them as you will muddle up the layers of the pastry!) and re-roll them on a lightly floured bench to about ½cm thickness. Cut final rounds to make 10 vol au vent cases in total.
3. Press a 5½cm round cutter in the centre of each pastry disc, three-quarters of the way through. This creates the lids once cooked.
4. Place vol au vents on non-stick baking paper in a 2cm deep baking tray. Leave at least 1cm in between each to allow for expansion.
   Lightly whisk egg. Brush over each vol au vent.
5. Lightly place another sheet of non-stick baking paper over top of vol au vents. Place a cooling rack across the baking tray resting on the rim. This ensures the vol au vents will be even when they rise during cooking.
6. Bake at 190ºC for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and carefully cut around lid indents to remove the cooked disc. Replace pastry shells in oven for about 5 minutes to dry out inside.
8. To make sauce, melt butter in saucepan. When frothy, add flour. Stir constantly over medium heat to allow flour to cook and become ‘sandy’ in texture. Warm milk. Start adding a little at a time to the flour and butter mixture. Stir constantly. Ensure sauce is smooth and boiling before adding more milk.
9. Meanwhile heat oil and butter in large frying pan over medium high heat. Add chopped chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped mushrooms, then stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes, until lightly caramelised and cooked through. Stir through sweetcorn kernels.
10. Add hot chicken mixture to hot white sauce, season to taste.
11. Fill warm pastry shells with hot sauce and place tops on vol au vents. Serve scattered with parsley.

cooks notes

• If using Careme Puff Pastry you will only need one sheet.
• If using a supermarket brand, use 2 sheets, one on top of the other.
• Try other filling combinations like adding bacon to this filling or replacing chicken with little cooked prawns or white fish.
• Other vegetables that work well with these are peas, pre-cooked diced carrots, celery or leek.
• Serve with salad.