Party canapés
Need a quick and easy canapé that delivers a lot of ‘wow’ for very little effort? Say hello to our friend the vol-au-vent.
A vol-au-vent – French for ‘blown by the wind’ – is a light, flaky puff pastry shell filled with sweet or savoury goodness. While homemade pastry is an option, store-bought cases offer a quick and easy shortcut so you can focus on the delicious fillings.
You’ll love these:
Harissa and lime prawn cocktail
Combine 100g mayonnaise, 2 tbsp ketchup and 1-2 tsp rose harissa paste with a squeeze of lime juice. Add 300g cooked and shelled prawns, season and mix well. Spoon into the pastry cases, then top with chopped chives or cress.
Wild mushroom and Parmesan
Soak 25g dried porcini mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a fry pan, sauté 2 finely chopped spring onions and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Squeeze excess liquid from porcini mushroom, roughly chop and add to the pan along with 100g chopped brown button mushrooms and 1 tsp chopped thyme leaf. Cook for 5 minutes. If the mixture is dry, add a little porcini soaking water. Remove from the heat and stir in 4 tbsp mascarpone and 85g grated Parmesan. Fill cases with a spoonful of mixture and serve scattered with Parmesan shavings and thyme leaves.
Want a sweet option?
For strawberry dessert vol-au-vents, fill each case with whipped cream and top with cut strawberry.
