This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
This takes me back to my twenties when the mini version of these vol au vents were all the rage. Succulent prawns are my absolute favourite ingredient and paired with crispy light puff pastry… a taste sensation. This vol au vent recipe is my kind of recipe – giant size! You can prep the pastry shells ahead of time…
Giant champagne and lemon prawn vol-au-vents
Course: Starters, Light LunchServings
4
servingsTotal time
50
minutesIngredients
puff pastry block 500g
plain flour for dusting
eggs 2, beaten
Champagne 150ml (or any other sparkling wine)
double cream 150ml
cooked king prawns 300g
lemons 2, zested and juice of ½
dill a small bunch, roughly chopped
Directions
- Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured worksurface until about 40cm x 40cm and 5mm thick. Use a round 12cm cutter to cut 8 circles from the pastry. Put 4 of the circles onto a baking paper-lined tray, then use a round 8cm cutter to make rings from the remaining 4 circles.
- Brush the 4 circles on the baking paper with beaten egg, then neatly lay over the rings onto each. Prick the middles with a fork. Put the inner circles onto the baking tray too and brush everything with more beaten egg. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Give all the pastry another good brush with egg, then put into the oven for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Cool.
- To make the creamy prawn sauce, tip the champagne into a small pan and reduce by 1/2. Add in the cream, season lightly with salt and lots of black pepper, and reduce until a thick coating consistency. Add in the king prawns, lemon zest and juice, and season. Stir in the dill.
- Spoon the mixture into the vol-au-vents, put on the lids and serve.
If, like me, you also love prawns, take a look at our Christmas Canape recipe for Coconut Prawns with Mango dipping sauce here