Easy vol-au-vent fillings

[kitchenplans]

I'm doing a buffet on Boxing Day in addition to hosting on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so I'm trying to keep it as easy on myself as possible (whilst of course, still being delicious). I'm doing vol au vents - I have 3 packs of 18 in the freezer. What are tasty fillings that can either be bought ready made, or can be made very simply by just combining a few things. I was wondering whether the premade tubs of sandwich fillings might be OK? Maybe prawn mayo, egg mayo and coronation chicken? Or do I need something a bit more special?

Brilliant, it’s vol au vent season.
I still think the ready made ones are much better. You just put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up and they stay a perfect shape!
I still get mine on Ocado. They are called vol.
I have actually eaten them all year! 😂

You can make them with puff pastry

Brilliant. Back in 2022 I was looking for them for a Coronation buffet and couldn't get them. Delighted if they are coming back in to fashion. I will have a look in Sainsbury's when I do my big shop this week.

I actually did make them completely from scratch for my Cookery O level. But that was 1978. Life is too short to make your own puff pastry now!

Tinned chicken in white sauce, chop the chicken up a lot - my mouth’s watering thinking of this in vol-au-vents.

Thank you for this thread. I went and looked in the freezer at Sainsbury's when I did my weekly shop today and they had the Jus-Rol cases. Fantastic!

For those who can’t source cases ….
sheet of puff pastry
Cut into squares or circles
get a cutter slightly smaller than the circle you have cut and press into the middle of the circle but not right through the the pastry.
bake in a hot oven til no golden
can be frozen after cooking .
Quick heat from frozen in hot oven .
You can flick out the central circle when cooked ,fill and top can be put on if you like .

Forgive my ignorance and total stupidity about these lovely sounding things, but are they served hot or cold or a mixed bunch? Trying to figure out how cream cheese and smoked salmon would be hot. Go on - fill me in and fill the vol au vents while you're at it! 😂

Can be served either hot or cold. I'd serve smoked salmon/cream cheese cold. Bake the empty cases first, leave to cool, then fill with cold filling. For hot fillings, I bake the cases, then spoon hot filling in straight from the oven.

The ready baked ones are much better than just roll frozen in my opinion. You heat them in the oven for a few minutes, they are so easy.
Someone told me about the website www.volauvents.co.uk to buy them all year! They are excellent

I disagree with this and think the ready made ones are dry and a bit stale tasting compared to freshly baked jus rol, which are light, crispy perfection! Maybe that's because my mum used to use frozen ready to bake cases in the 80s (possibly jus rol even then), and I'm tasting the warm glow of nostalgia!

Any which way you like them, I'm just loving that vol au vents seem to be creeping back into fashion!

Brie and cranberry are my fav

Lidl have some posh looking ones!

Letitia Cropley was a proponent of 'Marmite for Everything'. It adds flavour, colour and weeds out those with a bland palate. You could try that.

Alternatively, knock up a couple of Pot Noodles and put a generous dollop into each vol-au-vent case. ( N.B. Different flavours of PN are available, and so one can provide a wide ranging, exotic buffet - that is also easy on the eye.)

finely chop spring onions and mushrooms, cook in butter, add a couple of spoons of cream cheese, stir till warmed through. The cheapest supermarket cream cheese will do.

chopped bacon and optionally onion, cream cheese, grated cheddar, stir through til cheeses melt together.

Prawn cocktail

whipped cream, top with mixed berries, dust with icing sugar.