The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [46]
Makes as many as desired
Vol-au-Vents
Mrs. Weasley is really an amazing cook. To prepare all the food for her son's wedding, especially such elegant, classy savories as vol-au-vents, is just simply, well, impressive, to say the least (see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 6).
Marie Antoine Carême, known as the King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings, invented this beautiful and tasty appetizer around 1800. Its French name means “flying on the wind.” You can fill the pastry cases with whatever you want; you are limited only by your imagination. The fillings here require no cooking, although traditionally a filling mixed with a velouté (a sauce thickened with a roux, which is a paste made of flour and butter) is used.
Puff Pastry
Puff pastry needs to be made at least a day in advance, as it takes so long to make. Forming the pastry cases is fussy work, so to save time you can use frozen puff pastry shells. Just prepare them according to the package directions.
Butter Block
3 sticks cold butter, cut into chunks
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup flour
Dough
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ stick cold butter, diced into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
Sweet Cream — Blueberry Filling
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1 pint blueberries, washed and drained
1 tablespoon currant jelly
Tomato-Feta Filling
5 ounces feta cheese, diced into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon dried basil
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Smoked Turkey-Olive Filling
1 cup diced smoked turkey breast (¼-inch pieces)
1 cup small green olives (if large, chop them)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Freshly ground black pepper
English mustard
For the butter block, combine the butter, lemon juice, and flour, and mix with your fingers. Knead briefly until combined. Form into a square and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the butter to a 7-inch square. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the dough, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the ½ stick butter and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture becomes mealy. Add the water and lemon juice and stir to combine. Knead briefly until a rough dough forms. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, and cut a cross halfway through the dough almost to the edges with a sharp knife. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a flour-dusted surface. Pull the edges of the cross open from the center of the dough to create a rough square. Sprinkle flour on top and roll out the dough to an 11-inch square. Remove the butter block from the refrigerator and peel off the parchment paper. Place the block onto the square of dough so that the corners point to the center of the lines of the square (it should look like a diamond shape). Bring the dough up over the butter and pinch the edges together. Roll it out into a rectangle ½-inch thick. Fold the rectangle into thirds like a business letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This is called the first turn.
To make the second turn, remove the dough from the refrigerator and lay it horizontally on a flour-dusted work surface. Roll it into a rectangle ½-inch thick. Fold the rectangle into thirds like a business letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat the turns 3 more times, resting the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour between each turn. This recipe makes about 2 pounds 10 ounces of puff pastry; you will not need all of it to make the vol-au-vents.
To make the pastry cases, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut off 2/3 of the dough and roll it out ½-inch thick on a floured surface. Use a 3½-inch cutter to cut out twelve circles of dough. Use a 3-inch cutter to cut out centers, making thin rings. Set the rings aside on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll out the remaining