If you have trouble finding vol-au-vent shells, use frozen puff pastry dough and a large, round, 6-inch cookie cutter to cut shells, bake, and fill with your chicken mixture.
SERVES 4
Vol-au-vent (VOLE-oh-VAHN) means “flight in the wind.” How do I know? Because I’m fluent in French . . . and it’s in the dictionary. I first learned about vol-au-vent as a sixteen-year-old busboy on Long Island. Every time I heard someone tell their waiter, “I’ll have the vol-au-vent,” I would think, “One day I’m going to be rich enough to have the vol-au-vent.” Well, as it turns out, I’ve made a nice living in television, so I’ve had my fair share of vol-au-vent. It’s good! And pretty easy to make. Cheap, too—that was the biggest surprise. Impress your friends with this recipe. You can borrow my busboy story if you want.
1 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 stick unsalted butter, divided
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sherry (or any dry red wine)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 vol-au-vent shells
In a saucepan, bring the chicken stock and bay leaf to a boil. Set aside. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and sauté the chicken pieces until golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
To the hot pan, add the remaining butter and sauté the shallot for about 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook until they’re golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir, add the sherry, and cook until the flour is absorbed.
Add the stock and chicken, stirring as the sauce thickens. Add the mustard, heavy cream, paprika, and salt and pepper, and stir for another minute more. Stir in the parsley and pour the mixture into the vol-au-vent shells. Serve piping hot.