Seafood Bouchées à La Reine / Vol Au Vent / Bechamel Sauce / French Starter Recipe

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

Cook mussels with a lid over medium heat for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once mussels open, turn off the heat and filter the juice.

Cut onions into chunks and add them to a saucepan with the mussels' juice.

Crush garlic cloves and add them to the saucepan.

Cut tomato into chunks and add to the saucepan.

Cut parsley into sections and set aside.

Remove shrimp heads and peel them, then crush the heads and skin in a mortar.

Add crushed shrimp heads and skin to the broth saucepan with 80cl of water.

Mix and cover, then simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Prepare the stuffing by cutting fish and mushrooms into chunks and slicing quenelles thickly.

Remove mussel shells.

Filter 50cl of the broth and taste, adding salt if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

Beat one egg to use as glue and glaze.

Roll out the puff pastry to about 5mm thickness.

Divide the pastry into 18 discs, each 10cm in diameter.

For 6 discs, cut a 7cm diameter circle from the center to create rings.

Brush the edges of the 6 full discs with egg and place the rings on top, pressing slightly.

Brush the rings with egg and place the notched discs on top, pressing again.

Glaze the surface and make decorative motifs and holes in the center for even inflation.

Use a thick-bottomed baking dish lined with parchment paper to prevent burning.

Bake the vols au vent for about 25 to 30 minutes.

In a pan over high heat, add a dash of olive oil and cook mushrooms with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 30g of butter to the pan over medium heat and cook pieces of fish for 1 minute on each side, then do the same with scallops.

Remove vols au vent from the oven and prepare the bechamel sauce by melting 50g of butter in a pan over medium heat.

Add flour to the melted butter and stir for 3 minutes until slightly brown.

Add the filtered broth and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy.

Add quenelles, mussels, shrimp, mushrooms, fish, and scallops to the sauce and gently stir.

As soon as the first boils appear, turn off the heat.

Remove the center of each vol au vent and generously fill them with the mixture.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens