French · appetizer

Vol-au-Vent

Name: Vol-au-Vent
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 lb all-butter puff pastry, thawed; 8 oz chicken breast, diced; 6 oz mushrooms, sliced; 2 shallots, minced; 1/2 cup crème fraîche; 1 cup chicken stock; 1 tbsp flour; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 tbsp parsley, chopped; salt to taste; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 1 egg (for egg wash)

Vol-au-Vent reads umami 6.3, richness 5.7 and salinity 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a French appetizer, about 1 hr 10 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.3 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.4 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.3 · Richness 5.7 · Salinity 4.0 · Earthy 3.3 · Allium 3.1 · Sourness 3.1 · Herbaceous 2.8 · Funk & Ferment 2.6 · Sweetness 2.0 · Floral 0.8 · Citrus 0.7 · Heat 0.6 · Warm Spice 0.6 · Nutty 0.6 · Bitterness 0.6

What's in it (13)

1 lb all-butter puff pastry, thawed
8 oz chicken breast, diced
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 egg (for egg wash)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 10 min (25 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 101 kcal, 9.3 g protein, 5.4 g fat, 9.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Cut and bake puff pastry rounds to form hollow cases, pressing out soft centers after baking.
Make a creamy velouté filling with chicken, mushrooms, and shallots enriched with crème fraîche.
Fill the warm pastry cases generously and garnish with parsley.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Skillet Beef Stroganoff — American
Palócleves (Palóc Soup with Lamb, Green Beans and Dill) — Hungarian
Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Gravy — Scandinavian
Skillet Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy — American
Beef Stroganoff with Egg Noodles — American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.