Poached Pear Vol Au Vents Recipes

VOL-AU-VENT

Steps:

• Lightly flour a clean work surface. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 4-inch vol-au-vent cutter, cut out 4 rounds. If using a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds; cut out centers from half the rounds with a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to form rings.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Using a pastry brush, moisten top of each vol-au-vent with egg wash, being careful not to let any drip down over the cut edges. (Or moisten each ring and round with egg wash; lay one ring on top of each round, lining up outside edges.) Place vol-au-vents on an ungreased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake until vol-au-vents are puffed and golden on the outside, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; continue baking 10 to 12 minutes to let insides cook through.
• Transfer vol-au-vents to a wire rack. While still warm, cut out center of tops with a paring knife; set aside. Remove and discard inside dough, and let shells cool completely. Spoon or pipe in desired filling. Replace tops, and serve.

SOUS VIDE POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with warm water, leaving 3 inches of head room. Attach the sous vide to the pot and set the temperature to 175 F degrees (80 degrees C) and timer to 1 hour.
• Peel pear and halve lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds using a small spoon. Place pear halves into a resealable or silicone bag and add butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
• Remove all air from the bag and immerse the bag into the water, making sure that the top does not go below water. Leave in the water for 1 hour.
• Remove the bag when time is up and place pears on dessert plates. Drizzle with cooking liquid.

CREAMY CHICKEN VOL-AU-VENT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unfold 1 puff pastry sheet. Using a 3-1/4-in. round cutter, cut out six circles. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet., Unfold the remaining pastry sheet. Cut 6 more circles out with the 3-1/4-in. round cutter; with a 2-1/2-in. cutter, cut centers out of the circles. Place the rings on top of the circles that are on the baking sheet. Place the center circles also on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk egg and water; brush over pastries. Chill 15 minutes. Bake until dark golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings. Add leeks and pepper to drippings; cook and stir over medium-high heat until tender, 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in bacon, chicken, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until blended; remove from heat., When cool enough to handle, hollow out pastries with a small knife. Fill with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper. Serve with small center pastries on the side.

POACHED PEAR VOL AU VENTS

Steps:

• Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling wine mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens considerably. Remove from heat and add the dulce de leche; stir until melted and smooth. Add the butter and stir until completely melted. Let cool and cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic touches the surface of the pastry cream. This will prevent a skin developing on top.
• Peel the pears using a small paring knife, keeping the stems intact. Brush the pears with lemon juice so they don't brown.
• In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, wine, water, cinnamon sticks, and lemon zest. Place over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved; increase heat and bring to a boil.
• Add the pears to the liquid and simmer until fork-tender, usually about 20 minutes, but more time will be required for very firm pears. Remove pears to a wire rack or a plate to cool.
• On a work surface, lightly roll a puff pastry sheet with a rolling pin until the creases in the dough are flattened. Cut five 3.5-inch circles out of the dough using a cookie cutter. Repeat the process with a second puff pastry sheet. From the last sheet of puff pastry, cut two circles. You should now have twelve 3.5-inch puff pastry circles.
• Transfer six circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter (or bottle cap) cut a circle into the centers of the remaining 6 puff pastry circles, but do not remove the cut out centers.
• Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush the pastry circles on the parchment-lined baking sheet with the egg wash and top each with the circles with the cut centers. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Bake the pastries for 10-12 minutes, or until they are golden and well-puffed. Please note that some of the pastry cases may puff out of shape accordion-style. If this happens, set them upright and lightly press the case back into shape while the pastry is still hot. Gently dig out/lift out their round centers using a fork (you can serve this piece of pastry on the side, or just eat it!). Let cool completely before filling.
• 6 mint leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Just before serving, place the puff pastry shells on a serving tray. Fill each pastry with the pastry cream to the top; rest a single poached pear on top of each pastry over the cream. Using a small paring knife, make a slit to one side of the top stem and insert a mint leaf in the opening. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon over each pear and serve immediately.

PARTY VOL-AU-VENTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 30 x 6cm squares, trimming any edges. Score a smaller square inside each one, leaving a 7.5mm border, taking care not to cut the pastry all the way through.
• Put the squares on the tray, lightly brush with egg glaze and bake for 15 mins until puffed up and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When cool, carefully remove and discard the central piece of pastry from each one. To serve, fill with the fillings (see 'goes well with'). The vol-au-vent cases can be kept in an airtight container for up to a day before filling and serving.

MERLOT-POACHED PEARS WITH VANILLA & CINNAMON

Steps:

• Tip the wine, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla into a deep medium pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Add the pears, making sure they are fully covered by the wine, then simmer for 30 mins until they are just tender. If the pears are very ripe, they may be ready in 20 mins. Can be made up to 2 days ahead - leave the pears in the syrup in the fridge until you're ready to finish the recipe.
• Remove the pears from the pan with a slotted spoon and boil the syrup for 30 mins to reduce it and make it more syrupy. Cool, then chill for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge 1 hr before serving.

LAVENDER POACHED PEAR WITH POIRE WILLIAMS PUDDING

Steps:

• Make the dough for the sponge the day before. Put the yeast, honey, vanilla seeds, flour and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (use an electric hand whisk and large bowl if you don't have a stand mixer) and whisk for 30 secs to combine. On a medium speed, slowly add the eggs, then increase the speed and gradually beat in the butter, waiting for one bit to be fully incorporated before adding more. The texture of the finished dough will be very wet, similar to brioche. Cover the bowl with cling film and prove overnight in the fridge - this will make the dough easier to handle.
• The pears can also be poached the day before. Mix the sugar with the lemon juice and 500ml water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the thyme, lavender, honey and pears, then lower the heat and poach gently for 10 mins (firm pears may take longer). Remove the pears from the heat and leave to cool in the syrup, then refrigerate until needed.
• The next day, divide the dough into eight balls . Put each one into a buttered dariole mould, cover with buttered cling film and prove in a warm place for 1 -1 1/2 hrs until the dough has doubled in size. About 20 mins before the dough has finished proving, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the dough for 12 mins until golden and risen. Remove the puddings from the oven and cool for 5 mins, then remove from the moulds and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To assemble the pudding, drain the poaching liquor into a saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce the liquid by half. Put the sponges in a deep-sided dish, then pour over the hot syrup. Cover with cling film and leave for 30 mins, turning the puddings over halfway through. Pour the Poire Williams over the sponges, re-cover and leave for a further 30 mins . Serve one pudding per person with the poached pears, a dollop of Chantilly cream, a drizzle of the poaching syrup and some fresh lavender, if you like.