Vol au Vent Fillings: 12 Savoury and Sweet Ideas

Vol au vents are back, and they never really left an Australian Christmas. Crisp puff pastry cases with a warm, creamy filling are quick to make, easy to hand around, and hard to stop eating.

With ready-baked shells the pastry is done for you. All you need is the filling, and most of the ideas below come together in under 20 minutes.

Which shells to use

Confiletas mini vol au vent shells are about 38mm across. One or two bites, which is right for canapés and finger food.

Confiletas large vol au vent shells are about 75mm across, six to a box. That is an entrée size: serve two per person with a small salad.

Both are ready-baked puff pastry. More on the range in our guide to Confiletas pastry cases.

Classic savoury fillings

1. Chicken and mushroom. The one everyone remembers. Soft chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce, with leek for sweetness. Our chicken, leek and mushroom vol au vents recipe has it step by step.

2. Curried egg. Hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise and a little curry powder. Served cold, so the shells stay crisp for longer. See our curried egg vol au vents.

3. Prawn and avocado. Fresh and summery, and a good fit for a hot Christmas Day. Try the prawn and avocado vol au vents.

4. Smoked salmon and dill. Cream cheese loosened with lemon juice, topped with a curl of smoked salmon, dill and black pepper. No cooking at all.

5. Ham and cheese. A thick white sauce with diced ham, gruyère and Dijon mustard. A good use for leftover Christmas ham on Boxing Day.

Vegetarian vol au vent fillings

6. Mushroom and thyme. Fry mushrooms hard in butter until golden, add garlic and thyme, then a splash of cream. Reduce until it coats the mushrooms.

7. Caramelised onion and goat's cheese. A spoon of Caroline's caramelised onions topped with crumbled goat's cheese, warmed through in the oven. Three ingredients and five minutes.

8. Brie and cranberry. A cube of brie and a little cranberry sauce, baked until the cheese slumps. Serve warm.

9. Creamed corn and chive. Old-school and very good. Thicken creamed corn with a little grated cheddar, pile it in and finish with chives.

Sweet vol au vent fillings

Puff pastry is not just for savoury. For dessert, fill the shells just before serving.

10. Lemon curd and berries. Lemon curd, a raspberry and a little icing sugar. Our lemon curd and raspberry tartlets use the same idea.

11. Chocolate and cherry. Chocolate ganache topped with a cherry. Make the ganache ahead and pipe it cold.

12. Mascarpone and preserved lemon. Sweetened mascarpone with a little finely chopped preserved lemon rind and a drizzle of honey. Unusual, and it disappears.

For dessert canapés you can also use Confiletas mini sweet pastry cases, which are made for sweet fillings.

How many vol au vents per person?

As canapés with other finger food, allow 3 to 4 mini vol au vents per guest. If they are one of only two or three things on offer, allow 6. As an entrée, 2 large shells per person is plenty.

How to keep the pastry crisp

• Warm the shells first. 3 to 5 minutes at 180°C brings back the crunch.
• Fill at the last minute. Wet fillings soften puff pastry within half an hour. Make the filling ahead, then fill just before serving.
• Keep hot fillings thick. A filling that runs will soak the base. If it looks loose, simmer it a little longer.
• Bake warm fillings briefly. Fill, then give them 5 minutes in the oven so the filling and pastry are hot together.

For more ideas, see our Christmas finger food guide, the full tarts and pastry shells range, and our festive entertaining essentials.