What is "vol-au-vent"

Vol-au-vent \Vol`-au`-vent"\, n. [F.] (Cookery) A light puff paste, with a raised border, filled, after baking, usually with a ragout of fowl, game, or fish.

n. a small canapé - circular pieces of puff pastry with a small hole which accommodates various fillings, such as mushrooms, prawns, fruit, cheese, etc.

n. puff paste shell filled with a savory meat mixture usually with a sauce

A vol-au-vent (pronounced , French for "windblown", to describe its lightness) is a small hollow case of puff pastry. Vols-au-vent are typically made by cutting two circles in rolled out puff pastry, cutting a hole in one of them, then stacking the ring-shaped piece on top of the disc-shaped piece. This pastry is usually found filled with savory ingredients, but can also have a sweet filling.

The pastry and its catchy name vol-au-vent are sometimes credited to Antonin Carême. However, an entremet called petits gâteaux vole au vent is mentioned in François Marin's 1739 cookbook Les Dons de Comus, years before Carême's birth.

In France, it is usually served as an appetizer or a small snack, filled with chicken or fish. In Belgium, it is a common main dish that can be found on the menus of most restaurants, and is nearly always filled with a combination of chicken, mushrooms, and small meatballs, served with either mashed potatoes or fries. This Belgian variation is also available in some places in the Netherlands, where it is called pasteitje ("little pastry").

Vol-au-vent is a 1996 British comedy film directed by John McKenzie and starring Tim Mills, Dennis Waterman, Julia McKenzie and Lisa Coleman. Its plot concerns an upper-middle class wedding that is interrupted by three jewel thieves on the run from the law.