VOL AU VENTS RECIPE RECIPES

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/gas 5 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Using a small cutter or wine glass, about 6cm across, cut out 12 rounds (you may need to re-roll the pastry).
3. Place the circles on the baking tray and prick their centres several times with a fork. Beat the egg, then eggwash the circles. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for about 12 minutes until puffed up, crisp and golden. Roughly chop or tear the mushrooms, peel and finely slice the garlic, and crumble the chilli (if using). Pick and roughly chop the parsley.
4. Heat a lug of oil in a large pan and cook the mushrooms, garlic and chilli (if using), until golden.
5. Off the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, then add the crème fraîche. Season well and fold through the parsley. If the mushrooms are too dry, add a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
6. For the vol-au-vents, cut a very thin layer off the top of each circle and use your knife to carefully hollow out a hole in each one.
7. Fill with the creamy mushrooms and serve – you can pop the pastry lids back on, if you wish.

1. Preheat the oven to 220C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

2. Use a round 9cm pastry cutter to cut out 12 rounds. Place 4 rounds on a lined tray and use a round 6cm cutter to mark a small round in the centre of each, without cutting through. These are the bases.

3. Place the remaining pastry rounds on the other lined tray and use the smaller cutter to cut out the centre of each to make rings of an even thickness.

4. Brush the outer ring of each pastry base with egg wash, taking care not to brush the sides or the pastry won't rise properly. Carefully place a pastry ring on top of a pastry base. Brush the top of the ring with egg wash and place another ring on top. Repeat with the remaining bases, egg wash and rings. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until well chilled. Brush the top ring of each pastry with egg wash, avoiding the sides.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove any uncooked pastry from the centre and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the bases are golden and crisp. Cool on a wire rack.

6. Place the chicken and stock in a small saucepan. If the chicken isn't covered, add a little extra stock or water. Add the bay leaf and thyme and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and reserve the cooking liquid. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken and place in a medium bowl.

7. Heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring, for a further 3 minutes. Add the shallot, season well and then mix into the chicken. Return the pan to the heat, add the wine and cook until reduced by half, then add the reserved cooking liquid. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the cornflour mixture and cream and stir until thickened. Remove the herbs. Add the chicken mixture and heat through. Season to taste. Spoon into the pastry cases and serve warm, sprinkled with spring onion.