Pea and Mushroom Vol au Vent
It's not just that the pastry was ready made and pre-rolled, it's more that the filling contained something that in the hallowed days of Elizabeth David had something of a following; French tinned green peas.
I don't know why, and it's certainly not the case these days where even 'top chefs' use frozen petits pois for their high falutin' confections but way back when, French tinned peas had a reputation for excellence that was the cliché of the time. Something to do with hard boiled brilliant green of British tinned peas I think. French peas have a softness and a sweetness, not entirely natural but a good deal more appetising than their virulently coloured counterparts.
With them I served:
Basil and Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
My first time roasting cauliflower and it was good but perhaps not as special as some of the reports I'd read from the world wobbly internetty thingy. I'd cut right back on oil as a concession to the rather rich white sauce in the vol au vent filling and so the cauliflower was a little dry but where it had caught the heat the slightly bitter flavour was delicious. I think I'll put the leftovers in a vinaigrette for lunch tomorrow.
2 comments:
I bought some vol-au-vent cases here, and filled them with a creamy mushroom sauce. I'd never heard of them before. They do seem very retro!
You can buy the cases ready made in France too but I could only find ones with an egg wash on them even though the pastry would have been vegan which was a pity.
When I first starting cooking a very long while ago they seemed to be the height of sophistication, very Cordon Bleu but times have changed. It may be too late for me to learn Molecular Gastronomy although it would be fun to try!
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