Favourite Vol-au-vent filling recipe?

[PumpkinSly]

I flipping love a Vol-au-vent, and I want to make some for the coronation. Does anyone have an absolute favourite filling recipe to try? My grandma used to make a delicious creamy mushroomy filling I remember from my childhood in the 80s/early90s. I'd love a retro filling recipe if anyone has one to share? I don't think I've eaten a Vol-au-vent since my childhood so I might be mythologising how good they were, but I'm still going to make them. Thanks in advance

Watching with interest. I loved the mushroom ones too but have no idea how the filling was made. I wouldn't be at all surprised if condensed mushroom soup figures, though! I used to buy ready-made vol au vent cases and fill them with chicken in some sort of white sauce which I bought tinned from M&S. Super sophisticated 80s food!

my fave filling is chicken, mushroom and i’d make a lovely bechamel for creaminess! Topped with grated cheese and in the oven!

Probably Campbells cream of mushroom or chicken soup?

Where are you buying the cases from? I can't find them anywhere!

And ... chicken in white sauce or mushroom in white sauce.

My mother did a filling that was delicious which was a simple bolognese sauce made with sherry instead of wine.

Used to love mushroom vol au vents. Not seen any for at least 30 years.

If I could find the cases, I think I'd fry mushrooms and garlic, splash of white wine, creme fraiche. Bit of parsley.

This was my thought too, I bet it was Campbell's condensed mushroom soup 😂. Maybe there was more to it though?

Oh oh oh!!!

What happy memories of my childhood!

My mother used to make;

-bechemel sauce with chopped ham and sweetcorn
-smoked oyster (bechemel sauce with mashed smoked oysters mixed in- my favourite)
-seafood bechemel sauce (I sense a theme) with prawns or (more often ) seafood sticks
-spinach and bechemel sauce.

OMG I loved vol au vents

So fry the chicken and mushrooms, and then just add bechamel? Is it really that simple? Should I roast the chicken first and then shred it? Would chicken thighs work instead of a whole chicken?

I'm holding out hope of finding frozen cases in morisons, Tesco or Iceland. Failing that I've seen a few recipes for them using puff pastry that I'll try. How hard can it be? 😬

Mushrooms release juice when they're cooking in butter so I'd add some herbs (thyme) and garlic to the mushrooms, once they release the liquid, stir in some flour and cook out. Then add some milk/cream and stir until it's thickened.

Thats how my mom made them and she
makes some of the best ones I ever had.
cook your chicken (she would roast a chicken and shred it), fry mushrooms, add salt/pepper maybe some herbs.
separately do a lovely bechamel, i’d add some mustard in mine, combine bechamel with your chicken/mushroom filling, fill the cases, grated cheese on top and in the oven. Your bechamel should be nice and thick!

How about some coronation chicken with a few flaked almonds on top?

I make creamy mushroom ones every Christmas and plan on doing some for the Coronation too.

I just chop up the mushrooms, fry them in butter with a bit of salt and pepper, then cover the pan until they release all their water. Once they’re quite liquidy I add a bit of flour to thicken and a splash of milk to make it the right consistency.

That's how my mum made them.
Also did creamed mushrooms on toast using this method. Delicious.

I had some vol au vent cases recently but I can't for the life of me remember where from.

I will have a think and get back to you if I remember.

I love them too! I used to buy them for drinks parties when I was a teenager (I swear to god. What an absolute twat I was 🤣). They had a selection in m&s and they were amazing. There was a smoked salmon one for sure and maybe ham and mushroom.

Would also love a recipe and to know how to make / where to buy the cases

You can buy frozen cases (jus rol) they cook really easily and then you have to cut the tops out when they’re cool
you need to do a bit of turning round during cooking

i love vol au vents 🐷

Mushroom just fry off with a bit of garlic and add some Sherry cook that off and make a thick bechamel sauce in the pan used to cook the shrooms 🐷

The ready-made ones I bought 40 years ago were always round. It's probably easier to make square or rectangular ones, but if I were to have a go I'd have to try to make round ones. I've never done it, but I think all you have to do is roll out puff pastry and then stamp out a larger outer circle with a big round cutter, and then more lightly use a small cutter to mark out the inner part. Brush with milk or egg for a nice shine, bake and remove the inner part when it comes out of the oven - use as lid? Or eat immediately. Does that sound right, if anybody's done it?

I have some good recipes. But first I need you to promise that you will use them only for good and not for Coronational purposes. <hard stare>

https://www.jusrol.co.uk/products/vol-au-vent-cases

@CurlewKate haha 😭 they are like grating cheese for recipes end up eating them during prep

Mushroom vol-au-vents are the bees knees.
Tin of condensed mushroom soup
Cut up some mushrooms
Throw it all in a pan together and Bob's your uncle.

Iceland sell jus rol vol-au-vent cases.

This goes against the eighties theme but in my craving quest for mushroominess I made some while I was pregnant.
Sautéed some fresh mushrooms, portabello and chestnut with some rehydrated porcini, garlic and olive oil, then a splash of sherry (which catches fire so be careful).
I sieved the mushroom liquid dissolved in half a kallo mushroom stock cube and reduced added some double cream, season well, heated it through until it thickened a bit then added the sauce to the mushrooms and filled the vol au vent cases (used shop bought puff pastry)
Honestly it was the food of the gods.

I always used tins from M&S such as chicken in a cream sauce. I love a vol-au-vent too but haven't had one for years!

Boiled egg mixed with dairyLea or Philadelphia cream cheese. And/or Brussels pate mixed with chopped up cucumber.