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Vol-au-vents

A historical recipe from Margaret Brown's French Cookery Book, by Margaret Brown (1886).

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A historical recipe

Margaret Brown's French Cookery Book, by Margaret Brown (1886). Project Gutenberg eBook #44915.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

France

Known as a French recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 6 ingredients

  1. 1 pound of flour
  2. 1/2 can of mushrooms
  3. 1 tablespoonful of butter
  4. 1/2 pint of cream
  5. 1 pint milk
  6. 1/2 teaspoonful of nutmeg

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Flour Source of phosphorus · Source of copper · Source of manganese · +1

    Source of phosphorus · 106 mg per 100 g, 15% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Phosphorus contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Phosphorus contributes to normal function of cell membranes.
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal teeth.

    Phosphorus is a mineral contained in each cell in our body. Most phosphorus is in the bones and teeth, and some is in your genes. NIH fact sheet

    Source of copper · 0.2 mg per 100 g, 17% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Copper contributes to maintenance of normal connective tissues.
    • Copper contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Copper contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to normal iron transport in the body.
    • Copper contributes to normal skin pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Copper contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Copper is a mineral that you need to stay healthy. Your body uses copper to carry out many important functions, including making energy, connective tissues, and blood vessels. NIH fact sheet

    Source of manganese · 0.6 mg per 100 g, 28% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Manganese contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Manganese contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    • Manganese contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Manganese contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Manganese is a mineral that your body needs to stay healthy. Your body uses manganese to make energy and protect your cells from damage. NIH fact sheet

    Source of selenium · 10 µg per 100 g, 19% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal nails.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Selenium contributes to the normal thyroid function.
    • Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Selenium is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. Your thyroid gland needs selenium to produce hormones and function properly. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Flour, 00”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. [Quantity for 2 vol-au-vents].
  2. Paste--One pound of butter, 1 pound of flour;
  3. divide butter in 4 parts, rub 1/4 in flour, mix with hand, with a little water, then put on pastry board;
  4. roll out and put the second 1/4 of butter in layers over this paste;
  5. fold and roll it, and add the other two quarters in the same way;
  6. keep 1 hour on ice to cool;
  7. roll and cut this paste in 4 parts;
  8. roll 1/4 for the top and 1/4 for the bottom of pie.
  9. These must be cut out oval shape;
  10. cut the pieces and ends left of the paste into flower shapes and leaves to garnish the sides of the 2 layers of pie.
  11. The remaining 2 quarters are for another vol-au-vent fixed in the same way.
  12. Cut out the center of top cover and fill in with flowers and leaves made of pastry.
  13. Put in a hot oven and let it bake 3/4 of an hour.
  14. While baking this paste will rise and puff out in form like a cylinder.
  15. While hot take off this flowered center-piece on top of the pie, and from this opening scrape out all the insides, leaving nothing but a hollow cylinder of crust.
  16. Put in 1/2 dozen real sweetbreads, parboiled and skinned;
  17. 1 dozen truffles, peeled and sliced;
  18. 1/2 can of mushrooms cut in half.
  19. Make a sauce of 1 tablespoonful of butter, 1 of flour, 1/2 pint of cream, 1 pint milk;
  20. rub butter and flour together, boil milk and cream, and make a rich sauce of butter and flour, milk and cream, all mixed together;
  21. cook in this sauce sweetbreads, truffles, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoonful of nutmeg, white pepper and salt each 1 teaspoonful;
  22. put in together;
  23. stir while boiling;
  24. boil 20 minutes.
  25. When ready for dinner fill up paste and serve with truffles, mushrooms, and sweetbreads while hot.
  26. Send sauce-boat full of sauce to the table with the paste.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Wooden spoon
  • Rolling pin
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Margaret Brown's French Cookery Book, by Margaret Brown (1886). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #44915 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44915). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.