Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vents

How to Make Puff Pastry

The real Puff Daddy, right?

“You’re tall, do your exercises by the window where the ledge you can hold onto is higher”; “You’re tall, can you grab that off the shelf for me?”.  HUH? This is what I’ve been hearing the past several months.  The thing is, I’m not that tall; I’m pretty average (almost 5’7″).  Since when is about 5’7″ tall?  Did Lilliputians invade the earth while I was holed up for so long?

All of the above actually does have something to do with this month’s Daring Bakers challenge.  We’re making Vol-Au-Vents.  Vols-au-vents are formed with Puff Pastry, and they magically morph from flat disks of dough with rims, into flaky, layers and layers and layers of tall buttery towers; towers depending on the execution/temperature of the dough, oven temp, weather, and well, whether they feel like it or not! So they’re either tall or not tall, but they’re really not that tall, they just triple in size vertically if executed properly.

Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vent. Step-by-step instructions on how to make puff pastry from scratch and how to make Vols-Au-Vents with it!

So, so much to do, so little time.  As I type this, I’m still working on some fillings for these wonderful vessels of uber flaky pastry.  Between reviewing a cookbook, preparing to host the November DB challenge, another DC challenge, THIS DB challenge, an article for Food Talk, Physical Therapy, and life in general, I’ve been up to my neck in food, working out, and ummm..other stuff.  No need to elaborate.

Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vent. Step-by-step instructions on how to make puff pastry from scratch and how to make Vols-Au-Vents with it!
The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.  Thanks, Steph!

Sour Cream and Chive Scrambled Eggs with Bacon in Puff Pastry Vols-Au-Vents.Fluffy Sour Cream-Chive Scrambled Eggs with Bacon

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Saffron Dill Hollandaise in Puff Pastry Vols-Au-Vent.Vols-au-vent Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Saffron-Dill Hollandaise.

I own a copy of this book. I love Michel Richard and the book, and I’ve made his puff pastry many, many times.  However, the only problem is/was…I have/had too many ideas! No block this time, and this is why I’m still up at 3:11 am trying to complete this challenge.

First off, something just caught me off guard that has absolutely nothing to do with the challenge.  As I was typing, I heard a voice from the TV exclaim “It has a firm head, medium sized scrotum, and a 4 way arouser!”  I wasn’t looking at the TV; did I hear that right or am I imagining things?

Apparently, my television is tuned into the Oxygen network (which I thought was uhhh, squeaky clean?) and when I walked into the room briefly, I thought it looked to be an HSN or QVC type late night shopping show and figured I was so tired that I imagined those phallic phrases.  Well, it IS a QVC/HSN type shopping show, but it’s called ‘Shop Erotic’.  Has anyone ever heard of this?

I can’t help laughing every time this straight-laced looking woman uses the word ‘dong’ and rubs the toy to show the audience how firm yet flexible it is (because I’m a child). Yep, they’re selling dildos and calling them dongs! Wow, I haven’t watched much TV the past few months, so this is quite a surprise, and a strange and hilarious one at that!

Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vent. Step-by-step instructions on how to make puff pastry from scratch and how to make Vols-Au-Vents with it!

 Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza Vols-au-Vents

OK, back to the challenge.  When it was announced that we were making puff pastry, I was excited, and as usual, loaded my plate to the point where the food keeps sliding off.  Things can never be simple with me.  Like I said above, I’ve made Michel Richard’s puff pastry so many times, I thought nothing of leaving it to the last minute.  I could whip this one out easily! I made the puff pastry last Monday without a hitch, then decided I would start working on the fillings in a few days.

Little did I know that after all of this gorgeous, crisp and cool weather, there was still a humidity beast lurking nearby.  When I took out the puff pastry to roll, cut and shape it, it was sticky within minutes.  No clean cuts, no beautiful photo of the layers in the raw dough, just many trips to the fridge and freezer to try and chill it up, and many frustrating moments trying to keep my cuts neat and clean so I wouldn’t lose those incredible layers.

Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vent. Step-by-step instructions on how to make puff pastry from scratch and how to make Vols-Au-Vents with it!
Snack? Amuse Bouche? Hors D’oeuvres? Appetizers? Canapes? Anything goes with these mini bites.  From left to right: Goat cheese with Pistachio Chive Pesto, Shrimp and Crab Salad, Dates filled with Cream Cheese and wrapped in Prosciutto
.

I guess you could say I was semi-successful, but the vols-au-vents weren’t what they could have been.  Some turned out, some did not, and many were just plain ugly. Oh well, that’s life…and weather.

I brushed half the vols-au-vents with a whole egg wash, and the other half with an egg yolk wash.  As you can see, the egg yolk wash was quicker to burn, which is usually the case if you don’t keep an eye on it, plus, the rims turned out much darker, which is always the case when using an egg yolk wash as opposed to a whole egg wash. To be honest, I didn’t care for either, as the ones brushed with whole egg wash turned out too light and the ones brushed with egg yolk wash, too dark.  It’s all a matter of more and less baking time for each, which I should have paid more attention to.

Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vent. Step-by-step instructions on how to make puff pastry from scratch and how to make Vols-Au-Vents with it!Sliced Beef and Tomatoes in Black OR Brown Bean Sauce. Brown Bean Sauce is spicier, so use Black if you don’t like it too spicy.

Obviously, the main challenge was making the puff pastry, known as pate feuilletee.  Many find this to be quite daunting and never try it, but it’s actually pretty easy. You put together a dough aka detrempe, with flour, water and salt, and while it’s resting, you pound out about a pound of butter into a uniform block aka beurrage (make sure there are NO precious and/or valuable belongings within 10-20 feet of your ‘pounding’ area! I didn’t, and a favorite crystal candy dish is now known as smithereens).

Fortunately for me, after losing my beloved candy dish, only a fork hit the floor.

To continue, after the pounding, you wrap the dough around the block of butter, which gives you a paton, and start rolling it vertically until it’s about 24 inches long.  Fold it up like a letter, turn it around, and roll it to 24 inches in length again.  These are called ‘turns’, and you need a total of 6 turns, with 30 minute to 1 hour rests in the fridge in between, to produce a perfect puff pastry with thousands of layers of butter.

I rolled my now buttery puff pastry dough on a slab of marble, since it’s a cool surface, which is VERY key here since the dough must remain cold or the butter will soften or melt and there goes your layers! You see? In layman’s terms, making puff pastry really is a piece of cake; figuratively, and it’s an extraordinarily silky, smooth dough to work with.  This is why I LOVE laminated dough, from puff pastry, to croissants, to danish, et al.

Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vent. Step-by-step instructions on how to make puff pastry from scratch and how to make Vols-Au-Vents with it!Creme Brulee Puff Pastry Tartlets.  Technically not a vols-au-vent since I baked the puff pastry in tart molds.  I pulled the sugar corkscrews with my ‘asbestos’ hands *beaming*.  Starting to get the hang of it, burnt fingers and all.

I decided to showcase the versatility of puff pastry and the vols-au-vent by creating a vols-au-vent for every meal.  Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner and Dessert.  As I sit here typing away, I have yet to make breakfast (two ways, going overboard as always), lunch, and an extra dessert for my favorite whimsical heart cookie cutter vols-au-vant, and it’s now the 27th.  For the dinner vols-au-vent, I ended up scouring my fridge, freezer and pantry for something delicious to put together. I finally ended up ‘inventing’ a beef-tomato concoction in a black bean sauce.  It was really delicious, but I cannot remember the exact recipe since I just winged it, throwing in a bit of this, a bit of that etc. UPDATE: I made it again, this time writing everything down as I went along. Recipe below.

I seriously need to staple a pen and paper to my forehead.

It’s now 10:47 am, and I’m just sitting here sniffling and coughing.  I’m coming down with a cold which hit about two hours ago, and I have one last filling to make; a milk chocolate-peanut butter mousse for the second dessert vols-au-vents.  I cannot motivate myself to do it, yet I can’t rest until I get this post up! Looks like I’ll be posting a lot later than I had hoped!

Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vent. Step-by-step instructions on how to make puff pastry from scratch and how to make Vols-Au-Vents with it!

       Peanut Butter – Milk Chocolate Mousse.  By now I was too run down to put the mousse in a pastry bag and pipe it in decoratively.  A couple messy spoonfuls, a few photos, and back to bed.

I just woke up from a long nap and finished, or shall I say rushed? I really loved this puff pastry/vols-au-vents challenge, but leaving any challenge to the last minute is something I’m going to try and avoid in the future.  I’m pooped..so much so, that I have no desire to proofread this post, so please excuse any typos, run on sentences, etc..for now. I’ll get to it later; pinky swear.

On another note, I would like to thank Palidor of Crazy Asian Gal for thinking of me when passing on the award below.  I’ll pass it on in my next entry.

Just_Nice_Photos_Award

To get the recipe for Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry and the directions on how to form the vols-au-vents (this entry is long enough as is), go to THIS page on Steph’s blog, or HERE. Also, here is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications).

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Blender Saffron Dill Hollandaise Sauce
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 6 Benedicts
 
ingredients:
Saffron Dill Hollandaise *
  • 3 egg yolks **
  • 1 small shallot, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • a scant ¼ teaspoon saffron (use turmeric if you don't have saffron)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh dill
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • salt and pepper to taste
Benedicts
  • 1 sheet of homemade or store bought puff pastry
  • 6 to 12 large slices of smoked salmon aka lox
  • 6 poached eggs
  • saffron dill hollandaise sauce recipe, above
  • extra melted butter for brushing on the puff pastry circles, if desired
directions:
Make the Blender Saffron Dill Hollandaise Sauce
  1. Place the egg yolks, chopped shallot, lemon juice, saffron and dill in the container of a blender. Cover and blend on high speed for about 7 seconds.
  2. Place the stick of butter in a microwaveable glass measuring cup and microwave until completely melted and hot.
  3. Set the blender on high speed and through the hole in the blender cover, slowly drizzle the butter into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream. It should thicken almost immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep the sauce warm until serving by placing the blender container in a bowl or pan of hot water.
Make the puff pastry rounds
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Roll out one sheet of puff pastry to about 15" by 15" inches. Using a 3 to 4-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out 6 circles of puff pastry. Place circles on a parchment lined or greased baking pan. With a fork or skewer lightly dock (poke holes that do not go all the way through all over each circle) each circle with a fork. Place the circles in the fridge for about 25 to 30 minutes, or the freezer for about 15 minutes. You want the puff pastry circles to be cold when they're placed in the hot oven.
  3. Bake at 400F for 15 to 18 minutes until slightly risen and golden brown,
Assemble the Benedicts
  1. Place one puff pastry round on a plate and brush it with melted butter. Top with one or two slices of smoked salmon (folding some of slices if need be) then a poached egg and a tablespoon or two of the saffron-dill hollandaise sauce. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry circles, poached eggs and smoked salmon. Garnish with fresh dill and chopped chives, if desired.
notes:
* Double the ingredients in the Hollandaise Sauce recipe if you like a lot of it on your Benedict!

** Even though the hot butter brings the egg yolks to a safe temperature to eat; if you're concerned, make the sauce using the double boiler method instead of the blender, following the same directions, but using a whisk. Whisk until it has thickened and is piping hot.

Creme Brulee Puff Pastry Tartlets
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 6 tartlets
 
Prep time involves freezing and setting
ingredients:
  • 1 and ½ sheets of puff pastry
Custard Filling
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • 1 plump vanilla bean, split and scraped, saving the pods.
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3½ tablespoons sugar, plus more for torching the tops, about 2 to 3 tablespoons
  • pinch of salt
directions:
  1. Place six 4-inch fluted tart molds(or use a standard size muffin tin, only using 6 of the wells) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll out the puff pastry dough, the seams rolled together if using store-bought pastry, to make one large sheet, to a ⅛-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out six 6-inch circles. Save the scraps, if there are any, for another use (keep in freezer).
  2. Press the dough circles into bottoms and up sides of tart rings, or muffin tins, patching together any holes or tears. Prick bottoms of tart shells all over with a fork, and freeze for about 1 hour..
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  4. Remove the frozen puff pastry shells from the freezer and place in the oven, Bake for about 10 minutes, pressing down the dough in the wells if it puffs too much. Remove tartlets from oven and reduce the oven to 325 degrees F.
Make the custard filling
  1. In a medium saucepan bring the heavy cream, vanilla bean seeds and the split and scraped pod from the bean to just under a boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Slowly whisk some of the hot cream into egg yolk mixture, until it's tempered, then whisk the rest of it in. Strain the cream into a large measuring cup through a fine sieve; discard vanilla bean pods.
Bake the tartlets
  1. Divide cream mixture evenly among tart shells, filling each to the top. Bake until custard is just set, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set. completely.
  2. Remove tartlets from the fridge. Sprinkle the tops of each tartlet with about 1 teaspoon or more of sugar; you want to cover the whole surface. With a small kitchen torch, about 3 to 4 inches from surface of each tart, move flame back and forth until sugar is caramelized and deep golden brown, or broil in the oven until sugar is caramelized. Serve immediately.

Sliced Beef and Tomatoes in Black or Brown Bean Sauce
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 2 big servings, 4 small servings
 
ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 12 oz beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
  • ¼ cup black or brown bean sauce* - brown is spicier
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil*
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce, more or less depending on how much heat you like.
  • Chopped cilantro or parsley.
directions:
  1. Over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil in a skillet. or wok Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and sliced cherry tomatoes. Stir and fry for 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Add the black bean sauce, scallions, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha. Cook for another 5 minutes then garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley and serve.
notes:
* Can be found in most Asian grocery stores/markets, and many supermarkets.

 

Easy Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
ingredients:
  • ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons half and half
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz good quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
  • ⅔ cup heavy cream
directions:
  1. Place half and half, sugar, and butter in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to gentle boil. Remove pan from heat and add chopped chocolate and peanut butter, swirling pan to cover chocolate and peanut butter with hot half and half mixture. Let stand for about 3 minutes to melt chocolate and peanut butter fully. Gently whisk chocolate mixture until blended then stir in vanilla extract. Let stand at room temperature until cool.
  2. Place heavy cream in medium chilled bowl. Whip cream until soft peaks form, using a hand mixer set at medium speed or a stand mixer. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture, then cover and chill or serve immediately.

Pistachio Chive Pesto
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Yield: About 1½ cups pesto
 
ingredients:
  • ¾ cup unsalted, shelled pistachios, toasted
  • 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
  • ¾ cup roughly chopped chives
  • 1½ cups chopped or torn basil or baby spinach leaves or a mix of both
  • olive oil
  • grated parmesan cheese
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
directions:
  1. In a food processer, pulse the pistachios and garlic until chopped finely. Add the chives and basil and/or baby spinach leaves and run the processer while drizling in the olive oil until you reach a smooth consistency. If you like it chunkier, stop when it hits that point. Taste to season with the salt, papper and parmesan cheese.
  2. This pesto will keep well in the fridge for about a week, but a lot longer in the freezer. I've stored mine up to 6 months.
  3. Mix some with a soft goat cheese like chevre, as shown in the vol-au-vents canapes above.

 

Sliced Beef and Tomatoes in Black Bean Sauce.

Bookmark and Share

 

This entry was posted in Amuse Bouche, Appetizers, Beef, Breakfast, Daring Bakers, Dessert, Dinner, Hors d'oeuvres, Lunch, Pastry, Pies/Tarts, Seafood, Vegetables and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

91 Responses to Homemade Puff Pastry and Vols-Au-Vents

  1. jo says:

    Oh my, I can’t believe you made so many delicious flavours. Everything looks so, so good and beautiful. I particular like the first one with the bacon strips. If I had known, I would have invited myself over. 😛

  2. Elle says:

    That is a puff pastry home run! All those lovely vol au vents and so many beautiful fillings and garnishes. Truly awesome! You deserve to go to bed early tonight to make up for lost sleep. You can dream of flaky pastry and exotic dongs.

  3. Rosa says:

    Very well done! I love all your creations and fillings!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  4. Lori says:

    Puff de triumph. Beautiful Lisa Michelle. Why did I know there would be a thousand amazing interpretations of this challenge at you site. Well, because you are Lisa Michelle. All so beautiful. Will you be my personal chef?

  5. I really loved your vols-au-vents. All your fillings seems delicious. congrats

  6. Megan says:

    All your fillings look great! And of course your vols-au-vent look awesome. I thought about doing bacon, egg, and cheese ones, but then I never did. Love how yours came out!

  7. Namratha says:

    These are some beautiful vols-au-vents, very nicely done. Why didn’t I think of scrambled eggs….love ’em!

  8. anna says:

    Look at all those layers! And a pizza? YUM.

  9. Dan says:

    Well everything looks so great you are quite the artist. So you pulled the sugar corkscrews with your ‘asbestos’ hands *beaming*. Do I need to find out where one gets “asbestos” hands so I can do it too?lol. And exactly what is shtuff? Once again great work and the pictures are fantastic.

  10. ingrid says:

    LOL, this is so you Lisa! No need to tell you how awesome it all looks, right?!

    Sorry to hear that you’re coming down with a cold. I’m still struggling to shake mine!

    Blue-est blue eyes? I guess I need to call ya and get the scoop!
    ~ingrid

  11. Sue says:

    SO MANY amazing varieties! Your puff pastry is beautiful! I think I want to have a bite of the pepperoni pizza:)

  12. The deepest blue eyes ..hmmmm. and a late night sex toy show…..hmmmm.
    It seems you have had a very stimulating time. Love your step-by-step photos so informative. I don’t know which I like better…. all sound delicious but the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Saffron-Dill Hollandaise and the Deep dish Pepperoni Pizza vols-au-vents really appeal to me. Lovely combinations of flavours and textures. I was lucky cool weather the whole month. Wonderful work as usual. Cheers from Audax in Australia.

  13. Wic says:

    wow this is amazong. I love this delicious pictures of this divine looking puff pastry.

  14. Wow! Terrific photos! Did you get your lens fixed? Also, you went all out with the fillings. The chive, scrambled eggs and bacon (drool) look terrific as do the Vol-au-benedict. Another homerun with your DB challenge!

  15. junglefrog says:

    O my goodness you really went all out on this challenge! I love all your various shapes and fillings and gorgeous photos too!! And I totally love that little sugar corkscrew you made on the creme brulee version! Looks very sophisticated!

  16. sara says:

    Wow, so cool! I can’t believe you tried so many flavors…that’s amazing! And they all look super delicious. I was trying to decide on my favorite but I can’t decide between the pepperoni pizza one and the eggs Benedict one!!! So good. 🙂

  17. Palidor says:

    I hope you feel better soon, Lisa! LOL, your post made me laugh!! If I heard those words from my TV, I’d wonder if I was hallucinating. Those are not things you commonly hear… Anyway, your pastries look beautiful! I especially love the dessert one. Get some rest!

  18. MandyM says:

    You have completely outdone yourself!
    The eggs benadict looks awesome 😀 The scambled egg looks awesome! The deep dish looks awesome! Hell, they all look friggin amazing!
    Please please PLEASE visit me one day and bring that head full of ideas!
    Good work, cold & all 🙂

  19. shaz says:

    Wow! You really go the extra mile. Such fantastic fillings – how do you choose a favourite! And that’s urm quite interesting viewing…

  20. Alana says:

    Oh, I’m so glad you did scrambled eggs- I was fixated on that idea and didn’t make it happen. But I’m so glad that you did all of them, and happy to hear about the blue eyes and all of the wonderful things keeping you busy. And also glad to hear that they’re becoming more sexually adventurous on home shopping. I hope that you’re feeling better after some sleep.

  21. Zita says:

    You have a VaV party, there… I couldn’t even choose which is my favorite filling of yours… WOW!!!

  22. Rosa says:

    You are very courageous to have made some many different versions! I generally never do as much, because my kitchen is very limited and as I can only concentrate on one thing at a time, otherwise I start stressing ;-p! I admire you!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  23. Oh my goodness, I’m in total awe of all these delicious Vols-Au-Vents! Wow, I would love a bite of each kind! Such great fillings, both savory and sweet!

  24. JennyBakes says:

    Out of everything you did, I just love the idea of serving eggs with the vol-au-vents. So simple, but would be so delicious!

  25. My goodness! Every filling looks so good! I can’t even begin to choose a favorite. Wow!

  26. Lauren says:

    5’7″ may not be super-tall, but by no means are you short =D. All of the vols-au-vent look amazingly delicious! I adore the shapes, sizes and of course, the fillings – Yum!

  27. LegalAlien says:

    Wow!
    I wouldn’t even know where to start from!

  28. Jenny Tan says:

    Boy, the all look so delicious, and I have not eaten YET! 😛 If only I can just grab it through the screen! 😛 YUMMY!

  29. Meeta says:

    wow – these creations look grand a great job. i love the fillings here!

  30. Sophie says:

    Wow,…You are truly an amazing & passionate desserts cook!!!

    You deserve a real trofee for your outstanding vol au vents!!! Waw!!!

  31. holy smokes–those are some amazing fillings!! mmm…pizza! thanks for making time in your busy schedule to bake with me this month!!

  32. mlle noëlle says:

    Ummm… holy crap! 🙂

    I wanted to do a bunch of different fillings too, but of course time got away from me. I do still have some of my pastry left over- I almost want to have a cocktail party just so I can make more of these and experiment with more fillings. Your photos are gorgeous too, by the way!

    • mlle noëlle says:

      P. S. I just noticed the vols-au-vent in your last photo were heart-shaped… I did some heart shaped ones too but by the time they came out of the oven it was not so obvious what the shape was supposed to be 😛

  33. Diva says:

    Holy cow, I’m flabbergasted! I hope there will be some kind of award, or at least a sparkly tiara for your remarkable efforts here. I don’t even know where to start … though the chive be-flecked eggs and bacon seem like a good place. Make mine a double! 🙂

  34. Your photos are beyond amazing and heavenly! The deliciousness and sweetness are oozing out and these puffed babies definitely have my name written on them. Give me a big bite… please! 🙂

  35. Barbara says:

    You did an amazing job on this challenge! So ambitious! Good luck with all your upcoming projects!

  36. Esi says:

    I think you’re way too hard on yourself! All of these look amazing and I am so impressed that you have made this dough several times. I can’t wait to make mine..eventually 🙂

  37. maris says:

    I officially want to quit my job and stay home and do nothing but make puff pastry 🙂

  38. Jenni says:

    Holy crap, you pulled out all the stops this month! Pizza vol-au-vents! You rock!
    They all look and sound fantastic!

  39. Ivonne says:

    You are a GODDESS! Those deep dish vol-au-vents … OH YEAH!!!

  40. allyall says:

    Okay your fillings are delicious looking and inspiring. I’m having a hard time deciding which one looks the tastiest – the bacon and eggs, the eggs benedict, the pizza, the chocolate…yum!

  41. Anh says:

    Lisa, you have a wonderful arrays of vouls-au-vent here! I cannot decide which one I like the most!

  42. Amy I. says:

    Whooaaaaa. I’m blown away by how ridiculously creative you got with this challenge! I especially love the little pizzas and the chocolate pb mousse. Yay that you’re hosting an upcoming challenge too, can’t wait!

  43. isa says:

    I’m speechless… Once again your variations are absolutely stunning!
    Your sliced beef and tomatoes in black bean sauce sounds delicious:))
    Great job!

  44. peasepudding says:

    Wow, all those lovely flavours, you went crazy! My favourite though has to be the creme brulee tart since I’m such a sweet tooth.

  45. trissalicious says:

    The beef and tomatoes one looks excellent!!

  46. OMG great minds think alike! We both did a hollandaise thing and I was going to do a Creme Brulee one too but I don’t have my blowtorch at the moment. They do look magnificent, you did an amazing job girl! 🙂

    Hehe and at 5 foot 3 inches, you’re tall to me! 😛

  47. Sabiilaa says:

    Oh wow!! you made so many delicious flavours gorgeous layers!! pizza? and creme brulee?? wow! YUMmm. mmmmmmm 5’7 is not that tall…i am 5’9! =) thanks for stopping by and for the comments. =)

  48. Lisa says:

    Each and every one of them look totally delicious, Lis. I’m especially droolin’ over the deep dish pizza! Never in a million years would I think to put pizza and puff pastry together.. but now I will! 😀

    Hope you feel better soon, my love!!!

    XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

  49. ente says:

    Prolific achievement this month. Your puff is gorgeous and your combinations inspiring.

  50. Laura says:

    You were busy! Amazing flavors and so yummy!

  51. liz2024 says:

    OMG!!! You went crazy! I can’t begin to tell you how beautiful those look! And I really want that pizza one right now, for breakfast!

  52. elra says:

    Your kind and sweet words make my day, thank you so much!

    Yours are beautiful as well, looking into these photos it makes me like I am in a party. Beautiful and delicious! Well done.

  53. Aparna says:

    Creme Brulee in puff pastry’s got to be good. Looks perfect.
    Btw, I’m 5’7″ too and I thought that was kinda tall. 🙂

  54. OMG…do you sleep?! 🙂 Your post cracks me up…only you could work “dong” and “vols-au-vent” into the same sentence. And now I’m suddenly craving peanut butter chocolate mousse.

    I didn’t bake again — two months in a row. 🙁 But (1) my arse is getting too fat, and (2) I’ve been busy watching a little team called the Yankees! But since you’re the hostess with the mostest next month…I’m all in!!

  55. Blondie says:

    Can you say “show off”? No wait, can you say “dong”? Ha, ha. I have got to start watching oxygen at 3 am! Okay seriously, I can not believe you did so many fillings! I of course started with a list a mile long and well, procrastinated (it’s one of the few things I really do well), waiting for cooler times. Oh well, looks like this challenge with birth several posts for me.
    Now for next month… can’t wait to see your selection!
    ~Blondie

  56. Rose says:

    Holy cow! So nice of you to make mine for me 😉 Hah! It’s been so damn hot here (over 85′) with no air conditioning and my butter refuses to be turned with anything. Yours leave me speechless…and starving… I LOVE the egg & bacon and the eggs benedict one! WHOA!

  57. sara says:

    As usual, everything looks amazing. Great job!!!

  58. Blondie says:

    Uh, yep. Announcement forthcoming! Struggling with many food aversions at the moment. I think that Torta would make a stunning centerpiece for an upcoming celebration, don’t you?

  59. Wow, you really went all out for this challenge. Very inspiring!

  60. mybricole says:

    You had me at bacon, but then you made lemon! Guess I’ll have to try one of each. Way to make the rest of us look like complete slackers 😉 Great job!!

  61. Jill says:

    Lisa, Lisa, Lisa–you have put me to shame! First you sounded even BUSIER than I was and you still managed to get your post out on time (mine was 2 days late) and secondly, WOW, WOW, WOW!!! So many AWESOME varieties of both sweet and savory–I tell you, you have knocked my socks off–I’m totally IMPRESSED!! I can’t decide which is even my favorite–maybe the mini bites? or the pizza ones? or the creme brulee? or the peanut butter chocolate ones? oh wait, OR the beautiful tomato, beef and black bean sauce? They all look AMAZING!! I bow down to you–and dub you QUEEN of the puff pastry this month!! 🙂 Well done!!! 🙂

  62. Lisa, you are the queen of this challenge. So amazed how you could pull up so many options within limited timeframe. Anyway kudos to all the beautiful creations….. Love every single one of them, you even turned out the creme brulee version, wow!!!

    And, importantly your photos are stunning!!

    Regards
    Kris

  63. Cakelaw says:

    The bacon and egg and eggs benedict ones have my tummy grumbling!! Two of my favourtie breakfast dishes in vols-au-vent – he, he. I also fancy the creme brulee tarts.

  64. Renato says:

    Good Lord! So many fillings I just don’t know what to say! Of course, the sweeter ones called my attention! XD
    I loved your sugar corkscrews! I was thinking of trying to make that kind of candy, here.
    And I hope you have already got a good rest. you do deserve it, after so much baking! Congratulations!

  65. Marija says:

    Oooooh! Amazing job! I like the one with the bean sauce most!

  66. Puff pastry for every meal of the day, you have rocked this challenge! While they all look and sound amazing, the scrambled eggs and deep dish pizza toppings have my votes.

  67. Juliana says:

    Wow, what a nice selection of filling, I’d not know which one to start with, they all look so yummie…very nice!

  68. Hilda says:

    Very nice variety and presentation here, and I’m really impressed with your pulled sugar corkscrews(!) (I’m avoiding playing with the caramel right now lest I become unable to pick up Baby due to burns, which would suck).

  69. Olga says:

    WOW. you went all out. I think it’d be really hard to pick a favorite, but the ones with smoked salmon are super delicious looking.

  70. Dana says:

    Hey you! I told you I’d pop by! It was fun seeing you last night, even though it was brief. I had no idea what you had going here!! Jeeez, Lis I’m completely blown away…..those are your photos? You didn’t mention you took professional looking photos too! Anyway, I love your puffy stuff, and everything looks reallllly fattening and delectable. I’ll call you later, Miss Beautiful Chef!

  71. Oh my! The egg and bacon combo looks sooo tasty!

  72. Madam Chow says:

    You are AMAZING. Your pastry and all the fillings are mouth-watering!

  73. OMG OMG OMG! How on earth do you manage to do so much?!!! You always amaze me with the amount of different things you make! Well done, everything looks wonderful! The creme brulées and the pizzas might be my favourites!

  74. Julie says:

    This is one of my absolute FAVORITE puff posts!! What a great mix of flavors and beautiful pastries! Love your photos as well.

  75. Biff and Lexi says:

    Oh YUM. Love the sound of the easy peanut butter and chocolate mousse, although is half and half something you can get in Australia?? It sounds intriguing, and possibly heart disease inducing 🙂 Nice work on the toffee swirl things too – must be awesome to have asbestos hands – it’s your gift, it’s your curse.

  76. Y says:

    WOw you have been busy! I adore all your VaV variations. That pizza one in particular – how clever!

  77. Natashya says:

    Those are all so incredible! You really rocked this challenge. Any leftovers you need help with? 🙂

  78. kellypea says:

    I would be the queen on waiting until the last minute. Unbelievable the number of fillings you came up with. Sniffling all the way. You get a badge. Mayhaps an order of the “deep dish pepperoni” version to go, please? Nice.

  79. Ente says:

    Thanks for the note of encouragement. I did manage to complete the September challenge. Can’t wait to see what you cook up for November.

  80. Claire says:

    WOW…you went all out. Such good ideas. I didn’t have time to make the challenge this month but I did leave a recipe of what I fill this pastry with when I was little…so good!

  81. Wendy says:

    You’re absolutely frickin’ amazing. All the pictures look to-die-for.

  82. OMG. How busy are you? I really must comment on one non-food related point first. A Red Sox fan? You serious? Sure will make for an interesting summer! I’m so happy for you though, because Red Sox fans are awesome people. 😉

    But to your equally awesome vol-au-vents and puff pastry. Amazing job, as usual. I love how you put these selections together and all your creations. Just amazing. Well done. I missed this challenge – honeymoon! – but glad I tackled puff pastry the month before.

  83. fairy_mi says:

    I can’t believe you did have the time to do it!
    Honey, you are just amazing!
    And of course it looks incredible and the pictures are beautiful!
    Your dough looks puffy and delish, and love the cominations you did.
    Wtg wonder woman 🙂

  84. Michelle says:

    You are SUCH an overachiever. 😉

    I’m WAY late in commenting, but these are BEAUTIFUL! Can’t wait to see what you do with October!

  85. vincent says:

    Hello,

    We bumped into your blog and we really liked it – great recipes YUM YUM.
    We would like to add it to the Petitchef.com.

    We would be delighted if you could add your blog to Petitchef so that our users can, as us,
    enjoy your recipes.

    Petitchef is a french based Cooking recipes Portal. Several hundred Blogs are already members
    and benefit from their exposure on Petitchef.com.

    To add your site to the Petitchef family you can use http://en.petitchef.com/?obj=front&action=site_ajout_form or just go to Petitchef.com and click on “Add your site”

    Best regards,

    Vincent
    petitchef.com

  86. pragmaticattic says:

    Wow, wow, wow, and wow!! I’m just blown away. SO creative. Great job!!

  87. Hey everyone just wanna say hello and introduce myself!

  88. Pingback: Encapsulating da Meat « Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *