Chicken and Mushroom Vol-au-Vent (French Bouchée à la Reine)

This dish is a specialty from Paris and Lorraine. It is a baked puff pastry shell typically filled with a creamy ragout of mushrooms and chicken, or alteratively with game, sweetbreads, or seafood. The bouchée à la reine was invented for Marie Leszczynska, Louis XV's wife, who requested smaller ("bite-size") portions of vol-au-vent. There is often some confusion between a bouchée à la reine and a vol-au-vent. The first one is attributed to a French queen, while the last one is the work of one of the greatest French chefs of the time. Indeed, it is to Marie Leczinska (1703-1768), Queen of France and wife of Louis XV, that we owe the delicious recipe for bouchée à la reine. Marie Leczinska was the daughter of King Stanislaus of Poland, who was dethroned and exiled to Lorraine, in the east of France. Vol-au-vent (French for "windblown" to describe its lightness), meanwhile, is attributed to Antonin Carême, cook and author of culinary books. He replaced the crust of the bouchée à la reine which was a dough similar to a shortcrust pastry, by a lighter puff pastry. Carême popularized the use of a lighter and crisp puff pastry to make pies, whether savoury or sweet. Vol-au-vent therefore refers to the puff pastry container. The vol-au-vent fillings are varied, usually based on meat, sweetbreads, fish, shellfish, snails, or mushrooms. The mixture is bound with a thick sauce like a bisque, béchamel sauce, with cream, with Nantua, sauce suprême or sauce financière. Originally, the size of the vol-au-vent was about 6-8". It is only from the middle of the 20th century that the size of the vol-au-vent merges with that of bouchée à la reine, which is closer to 4" in diameter. The hors d’oeuvre called mini bouchée or bouchée mignonne, meanwhile, is usually 2" in diameter. Traditionally the vol-au-vent is served as an appetizer, presented by itself on a plate or accompanied by a green salad.

Vol au Vent:
2 rolls puff pastry (2 lb)
1 egg

Hen:
2 lb hen
2 carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion
1 bouquet garni (fresh parsley, thyme and bay leaves tied together)

Mushrooms:
1½ lb button mushrooms
2 Tbsp. butter

Sauce:
¼ cup white wine
1 egg yolk
½ cup heavy cream
5 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Necessary equipment:
1 (4") round fluted cookie cutter
1 (2") round fluted cookie cutter

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

In the two rolls of puff pastry, cut out circles using the 4" diameter cookie cutter. In one of the rolls, cut out circles using the 2" diameter cookie cutter, inside the first circles. Detach the two circles to obtain rings. Place the 5 circles and 5 rings on top of each circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, beat the egg, and add a Tbsp. of water. Brush the egg mixture on the circles and rings, taking care to stay in the middle of the dough and not to cover the edges, to ensure even cooking and to allow the dough to rise well.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the vol-au-vent are golden brown.

Wait a few minutes for the vol-au-vent to cool.

Cut out the middle of the circle to create a hollow center for the sauce.

Make the Salpicon:
Place the poultry in a large pan, cover with cold salted water. Bring to boil and skim if necessary, then add the carrot, onion and bouquet garni. Cook covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes at low-medium heat.

Remove the hen and place it on a dish. Wait ten minutes for the hen to cool down. Debone and cut the poultry. Dice the meat in ½" pieces. Filter the cooking broth with a sieve. Pour into a saucepan and reduce until there are just 4 cups left.

Clean the mushrooms and quarter them. Sauté in a pan with the 2 Tbsp. of butter for 5 minutes.

In a different saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and mix with a spatula to obtain a smooth mixture. Cook on low heat for about 2 minutes, while stirring.

Off the heat, pour 2 cups of boiling chicken broth over the cold roux. Whisk to obtain a smooth mixture. Put back on the heat and bring to a boil while continuing to whisk. Season and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add some broth, if necessary, to obtain a semi thick consistency, then pour the white wine.

In a bowl, combine the egg yolk and cream. Add a ladle of boiling broth in the egg and cream mixture, whisking well to bring the mixture to the correct temperature without scrambling the egg. Then pour the contents of the bowl little by little on the broth while continuing to whip.

Add the mushrooms to the sauce and bring to a boil again.

Assembly:
Place a vol-au-vent in the middle of a plate. Pour a few spoonfuls of the salpicon inside each vol-au-vent. Cover with the small puff pastry hat. Pour some salpicon on the side and/or serve with a green salad.

Makes 5 servings.

Cook's Notes:

In 1902, chef Auguste Escoffier listed sixteen recipes of appetizers of different appellations, shapes and garnishes, including the bouchée à la reine. Among its different recipes, you can find:

• Bouchée Bouquetière: Made from a vegetable brunoise.
• Bouchée Diane: Made with game meat.
• Bouchée Grand Duc: Made with asparagus tips and truffles.
• Bouchée Montglas: Made with foie gras and mushrooms.
• Bouchée Nantua: Made from crayfish tails and Nantua sauce.
• Bouchée à la Victoria: Made from a mixture of lobster and truffles in a lobster sauce.
• Bouchée Hollandaise: Made with salmon and hollandaise sauce topped with poached oysters.