Silv's Journal: Chicken & Mushroom Vol-Au-Vents

There's not much to be said about this recipe other than that my sister has been making these Vol Au Vents for about 21 years. They are easy, delicious and a family hit every single time.

Whilst the recipe calls for entree size pastries only, if you have small children you will find that the bite size pastries will be their favorites as they can manage it with their hands and eat it in a couple of bites. My sister always makes a combination of both entree and bite size and I have no qualms in stealing some small ones, whilst I also indulge in the entree size ones as well.

Chicken & Mushroom Vol Au Vents

36 entree size pastry cases (vol au vents)
800g chicken fillets,sliced as if stir-frying (skin-off)
400g mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2T tomato paste
110g butter
0.5C plain flour
2C milk
Salt & peeper to taste

Method

Annie preparing the chicken.

Melt 50g butter in a large and deep frying pan that has a lid and saute the onions. Add the chicken and salt and pepper, then give it a stir. Turn the heat to low, put the lid on and let it cook until the juices from the chicken evaporate. Stir occasionally.

Add the mushrooms and tomato paste, stir and put the lid back on. Let it cook until most of the juice from the mushrooms evaporate. Ideally the mixture remains slightly moist. Set aside and make the sauce.

Chicken and mushroom mixture.

On low heat, in a small non-stick saucepan melt the remaining butter and progressively add the flour and mix it together. Add the milk in quarter cup portions and stir well and keep mixing. It should be a pasty mixture without any lumps. If there are any lumps just push the mixture through a sieve.