Confiletas Large Vol Au Vent Pastry Shells x 6

Vol-au-vent cases are puff pastry shells with a well pressed into the middle, baked ready to fill. These are the large size, about 75mm across, six shells to a box, and they are the ones to use for anything with a sauce in it. They are made with wheat flour, so they contain gluten and egg, and they are not a gluten free product.

Large is a plated size rather than a canape size. At 75mm a shell takes a proper spoonful, which makes it an entree case: seafood in a cream sauce, creamed mushrooms, curried egg, coronation chicken. If you want one-bite food for a stand-up party, the mini vol-au-vent shells are 38mm and come twelve to a box.

Are these vol-au-vent cases gluten free?

No, and we would rather say so plainly. The first ingredient is wheat flour and the declared allergens are gluten and egg, with soy and mustard as may-contains. There is no gluten free version of this shell in our range. If gluten free is what you came for, the products that carry their own gluten free labelling are in gluten free options, and for a base you can build canapes on, the gluten free crackerthins are the nearest thing we stock.

How many cases are in a box, and how big are they?

Six shells, about 75mm across. Read pack counts off the product name, because the two biggest Confiletas cases come six to a pack and the three mini sizes come twelve, which catches people out when they are buying for a crowd. The five shells are compared side by side in Confiletas pastry cases: which shell suits which canape.

Do you need to bake vol-au-vent cases before filling them?

No. They arrive baked and shelf stable. Fill them as close to serving as you can manage, because the thing that ruins a vol-au-vent is a wet filling sitting in the shell. A thin layer of something fatty on the base, butter or cream cheese, buys you time.

What do you put in large vol-au-vent cases?

Three we have written up: prawn and avocado, chicken, leek and mushroom and curried egg. The rest of the range is in tarts and pastry shells.