Make vol-au-vents with chicken, pear and mushrooms
Vol-au-vents (or tarteletter) are a classic Danish dish, that never quite goes out of fashion – because the filling can be made in SO many different ways.
This autumn vol-au-vent is one of the slightly more unusual versions – and yet not entirely so.
There’s a creamy white roux-based sauce – and there’s chicken.
The slightly different element in this vol-au-vent is pears and walnuts.
In this post, I’ll tell you:
- WHY the creamy vol-au-vent filling with chicken, pear and mushrooms is a good idea
- I’ll go through the technique behind the roux-based sauce
- And then I’ll give you a few more ideas for serving this delicious creamy chicken filling
Contents – click to jump straight to what interests you:
- Autumn’s delicious ingredients
- Why pears work in vol-au-vents
- Texture and contrasts
- Other ways to use puff pastry with creamed filling
- Other serving suggestions
- The technique behind the roux-based sauce
- Shelf life and storage
- Share your photos and comments
- Recipe: How to make a creamy filling with chicken, pear and mushrooms
Autumn’s delicious ingredients
Autumn is bursting with delicious produce: mushrooms, nuts and fruit.
In this recipe, I’m working with:
- lovely crisp Clara Frijs pears from the garden
- mushrooms we’ve foraged
- walnuts from the local supermarket – sadly, we don’t know of any nearby nut groves
Now, this isn’t a recipe that depends on you being a forager and garden owner – because it’s a recipe that can be made with the fresh mushrooms and firm pears you can buy in the shops – I’ve tried it.
And when buying walnuts, buy them as fresh as possible.
That way you avoid the nut oils turning rancid, because the flavour of the walnuts is important in this dish.
Why pears work in vol-au-vents
Even though this isn’t a traditional white creamed chicken dish, I’ve put a lot of thought into the composition.
It’s (if I do say so myself) a fantastic combination of crisp, soft, creamy and fresh.
With umami, bitterness and sweetness.
So it’s a dish that ticks all the boxes across the spectrum: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, richness and varied textures.
- There are two types of crunch – from the vol-au-vent, tartlet or pie shells and from the fresh pears
- The creamy richness comes from the cream sauce that brings it all together
- Acidity comes from white wine and lemon, balancing the richness and highlighting the freshness of the pear – I use a Sauvignon Blanc
- Umami comes from both the chicken and the mushrooms
- There are two different types of sweetness – from the sautéed leeks and the fresh pears
- There’s a touch of bitterness from the tannins in the toasted walnuts – they provide contrast to the pear’s sweetness
- Dijon mustard, freshly ground pepper and nutmeg add warmth and a bit of heat
- And then it’s seasoned with salt – you choose which kind
It’s the combination of the different elements that makes the dish harmonious.
And if you don’t like walnuts, replace them with hazelnuts.
You won’t get quite the same flavour experience, as the bitterness is missing from the sweeter hazelnuts – but toasted nuts always taste good.
Texture and contrasts
I love playing with different textures, for example:
- Crisp – soft
- Cooked – raw
That’s why there are both fresh pears and sautéed mushrooms and leeks in the filling, and it’s a creamy sauce with a crisp pastry.
You’ll also find fresh fruit in the filling with chicken and bacon (recipe in Danish) – that one has fresh apple cubes.
Here I’ve chosen to use puff pastry as the crisp element.
I love the flavour of freshly baked puff pastry with the filling.
And it’s easy to bake vol-au-vent shells – as you can see in some of the photos.
For a lighter and leaner crunch, try filo pastry shells instead.
It’s not completely fat-free, as you need to brush melted butter between the layers.
If richness isn’t an issue, you can also make pastry shells or tart cases from shortcrust pastry.
In Denmark, you can buy two types of ‘tarteletskaller’ pastry shells – I’m not sure which kinds are available where you live.
But if you prefer ready-made pastry cases, go ahead and use those.
The most important thing is that the texture contrast between creamy filling and crisp pastry is perfect.
That’s why you should serve your vol-au-vents freshly made – they lose their charm if the pastry becomes soft.
Other ways to use puff pastry with creamed filling
Do you love the crunch that puff pastry gives, but not so keen on a big pastry shell?
Or are you serving a crowd and worried the pastry will go soggy before everyone eats?
Then serve your creamed filling in a small bowl, and let the puff pastry be the side.
Instead of making vol-au-vents, cut the puff pastry into sticks (you can also make circles, triangles or other shapes), bake them until crisp and serve on the side.
That way you get the same elements – just WITHOUT the risk of soggy puff pastry.
You can also make individual portions of chicken pie or “chicken pot pie” where you bake the puff pastry as a lid over your hot creamed filling.
Here, the pear cubes should be slightly larger so they don’t overcook in the oven.
- Spoon the hot filling into ramekins
- Cover with pastry, prick to let steam escape
- Bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes at 200°C fan
When the pastry is on top, it doesn’t go soggy as quickly.
You get the same lovely flavour as with vol-au-vents – it’s just served a little differently.
Other serving suggestions
Have you made a large batch of chicken with pear?
Or want to enjoy your creamed filling in a different way?
Then I’ve got a few more ideas.
You can make more filling dishes – with or without pastry.
The baked version – and one that’s also lunchbox-friendly
If you make your creamed filling slightly less runny (see note in the recipe), you can use it as a filling, since a thicker mixture won’t leak during baking.
Use the filling in:
- Small hand-pies – baked parcels – filled pastry
Wrap the filling in puff pastry, filo or savoury shortcrust pastry and bake until crisp and delicious. - Savoury pancakes
Savoury pancakes aren’t as delicate as the crisp pastry types, so you can prep them well in advance.
They’re great for lunchboxes.
And they can be served for dinner too – you can reheat or gratinate them before serving.
As a sauce
You can also serve your creamed filling as a sauce with potatoes, rice or pasta – a more substantial main course than vol-au-vents.
If you want a lighter sauce, reduce the cream slightly – for example by 50g – and use the same amount (or a bit extra) stock.
For an even lighter sauce, you can replace some of the double cream with single cream or a splash of milk.
The technique behind the roux-based sauce
This is a classic white roux-based sauce.
It starts with a roux – a butter-flour paste – made from 50:50 butter and flour.
The roux thickens the liquid, giving you a lovely, creamy sauce – which forms your creamed dish when you combine the sauce with the filling.
Adjust the thickness depending on use
Be aware that if you want to use the roux-based sauce as a gravy, you’ll need more stock, and if you want to bake your creamed filling, you’ll need less liquid.
Roux-based sauce
Making a roux is quite simple.
And here’s a brief overview.
You start your roux by melting the butter over medium heat.
Sprinkle in plain flour and whisk thoroughly.
It’s important to cook the flour properly – a sauce that tastes floury isn’t pleasant.
That’s why you should let the roux cook through whilst stirring for about 2 minutes over medium heat – it shouldn’t brown – as this is for a white sauce.
The white sauce
Then you can begin the sauce by adding hot stock gradually – whilst whisking vigorously to avoid lumps.
Use a strong stock – reduce it beforehand to about 2/3 volume by gentle simmering for a deeper, more intense flavour in the sauce.
And keep the stock warm – it’s a bit like making risotto, everything goes more smoothly.
Once the sauce is smooth, bring it to a boil, then add white wine – or extra lemon juice.
The extra lemon juice is only if you want to avoid wine.
If you use white wine (which I recommend) let the sauce come to the boil again.
It should simmer for a few minutes so the alcohol evaporates.
Then add double cream and season.
Let the sauce simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until it’s creamy and has the desired consistency.
You can test it with a spoon.
How to test the sauce consistency
Dip a spoon into the sauce and let the excess drip off.
Draw a line with your finger across the back of the spoon.
This is called the ‘spoon test’ – a classic way to check sauce consistency.
If the line remains clear and doesn’t run together, the consistency is right – if it flows together, the sauce needs to simmer a bit longer.
Once your roux-based sauce has the right consistency, add the filling and heat the dish through gently over low heat.
Then the creamed dish is ready to serve.
Shelf life and storage
The creamed filling will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge – if cooled quickly and covered well.
It also tastes great the next day, e.g. in savoury pancakes, as a sauce etc.
You can also freeze the dish.
If you already know you want to freeze some of it, wait to add the final filling.
Pears and walnuts lose structure and become uninteresting when thawed.
Add them after reheating.
Defrost the creamed filling in the fridge and reheat gently over low heat so the cream doesn’t split.
Has the sauce become too thick?
Adjust with a little warm stock or cream before you add the pears and nuts.
Share your photos and comments
How do you enjoy the creamy vol-au-vent filling with chicken, pear and mushrooms?
As vol-au-vents, creamed filling, as a sauce or…?
Share your comments and photos with me below in the comments or on Instagram – share with @danish.things and tag #danishthings- when I see your pictures, I’ll send a ❤ your way.
How to make a creamy filling with chicken, pear and mushrooms
Creamy vol-au-vent filling with chicken, pear and mushrooms - delicious creamed dish for autumn and winter
Ingredients
Filling 1
- 600 g boiled or braised shredded chicken *
- olive oil for frying
- 150 g leeks - white and pale green part* (150g ≈ 1 large leek)
- 200 g mushrooms sliced or diced* - e.g. button mushrooms, shaggy ink caps (Coprinus comatus), brown cap mushrooms or a mushroom mix
- 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
- salt - to taste
- freshly ground pepper - to taste
Roux
- 50 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
Creamed filling
- 400 g reduced hot chicken stock** - alternatively a good strong vegetable stock, or a ready-made soup from the freezer - yours or the supermarket's
- 150 g double cream
- 75 g white wine with acidity and freshness*** e.g. a Sauvignon Blanc
- 10 g lemon juice (10g ≈ 2 tsp)
- salt - if using shop-bought stock, be mindful of the salt balance
- freshly ground pepper
- 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard - there's a difference in strength
- 1-2 tsp fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Filling 2
- 200 g firm pear - trimmed weight (200g ≈ 1 large pear or several small ones)
- 60 g walnuts****
- salt for seasoning
- freshly ground pepper for seasoning
Optional garnish
- fresh thyme leaves
- fresh pear cubes
- toasted chopped walnuts
- 12 vol-au-vent cases/pastry shells/shortcrust tart cases - see alternative serving options in the main text
Instructions
Preparation
Chicken
- Boil or braise your chicken until it reaches a core temperature of 75 °C. If using chicken breast, remove from heat and let rest for 3-5 minutes. If using a whole chicken, cook well in advance - ideally the day before - so it can cool before shredding. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces or cubes. Set the chicken aside.
Vol-au-vent cases - tart shells - pastry cases
- Bake your vol-au-vent cases, pastry shells or tart cases in advance so they can cool slightly before serving. If baked the day before, simply reheat. If using ready-made pastry cases - follow the instructions on the packet.
Walnuts
- Toast lightly in a dry pan over medium heat or in the oven for 3-4-5 minutes until fragrant and golden. Oven: use residual heat if you’ve just baked your vol-au-vent cases/tart shells. Watch the nuts, stir halfway - don’t let them burn.
- Remove and set aside. Chop once cooled - they’re added at the end.
Filling
- Clean leek, mushrooms and pears before weighing. Wash your thyme - save leaves for garnish - sprigs can be sautéed with the leek and mushrooms.
Leek
- Slice the leek(s) lengthwise to remove any soil/sand. Save the green part for stock - only use the white and pale green. Finely slice.
Mushrooms
- Clean your mushrooms and cut into suitable pieces.
Pears
- Wash pears, keep the skin for colour and texture, remove stem, blossom and core.Wait to dice until you sauté the leek and mushrooms - this prevents oxidation. Dice into approx. ½ x 1 cm cubes. Set aside - added at the end.
Sauté
- Sauté the leek in a little olive oil until soft and collapsing. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid evaporates and they take on colour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove thyme sprigs and set filling aside.
Roux - creamy sauce
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk thoroughly. Let the roux cook through for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly - do not brown.
- Gradually add hot chicken stock - whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. Once smooth, bring to a boil.
- Add white wine and bring back to the boil, then simmer for a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
- Add double cream, nutmeg, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Stir well, then season with extra salt, freshly ground pepper and lemon juice. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until creamy and at the desired consistency.
The creamy filling
- Fold the shredded chicken and leek-mushroom filling into the hot sauce and stir. Heat gently over low heat - do not boil. The filling should be creamy - not runny, not too firm.Just before serving, fold in the pear cubes and toasted chopped walnuts - reserve some for garnish if you haven’t made extra. Stir gently - don’t heat - so the pears stay firm.
Serving
- Fill warm shells with hot filling. Garnish with pear, walnuts and thyme.Serve immediately. Also great in savoury pancakes, puff pastry bites or as sauce with rice or potatoes.
Notes
** The base recipe uses 400g of stock; if baking, reduce to 300g. Add extra stock, milk or cream if making a sauce.
*** I recommend using wine with a little lemon juice - it gives the most complex and rounded flavour. Without wine, double the lemon juice.
**** You can toast walnuts in advance and store them in an airtight container. If you don’t like walnuts, substitute with hazelnuts - note they’re sweeter and lack the bitter contrast of walnuts. The creamy filling keeps covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. It also tastes great the next day - see:
Freezer-friendly: The filling can be frozen, but add pears and walnuts after reheating to preserve texture. Defrost in the fridge and reheat gently over low heat - so the cream doesn’t split. If the sauce thickens too much during storage, adjust with a little hot stock or cream.
If you use US customary units, remember that the recipe is made using Metric and converted via a plugin.
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