Vol-au-vent

Creativity and originality are the best allies of a cook who wants to make their mark, and inspire those who are going to sit around the dining table and share their homemade food: everything is even more fun when we discover unusual ingredients from the cuisine of other countries. Today we visit France and are going to make some tasty vol-au-vents, those little containers of puff pastry which have within them tempting and surprising fillings, ideal for serving as starters characterized by their unique taste and appearance; furthermore, the most appealing thing is that you can use them to contain your favourite ingredients as a filling. Be inspired by the creativity of our chef, follow his advice, and you’ll get an impeccable vol-au-vent - the kind that will have your guests licking their lips.

Roll up small pieces of frankfurter with strips of puff pastry one by one. For the salmon vol-au-vents, cut out portions with a star-shaped pastry cutter and use them to encase pieces of salmon. Seal the points of the star by pressing firmly so as to create a container for the salmon. Use pieces of smoked salmon as the filling. Boil the swiss chard and chop it up well, then squeeze out any remaining water. Add the ricotta to the chopped chard. Grate the parmesan and add to mixture, along with some nutmeg, finally adding salt and pepper. Cut not-too-large circular portions of puff pastry with a pastry cutter and place half a teaspoon of the chard filling in the middle of the puff pastry circle. Fold over to make a half-moon shape and prick them with the tip of a knife. Then place in a fan oven for 20 minutes at 180°C.