Berry Vol au vent

Berry vol-au-vents are a delicious dessert that combines the crunchiness of puff pastry with the sweetness and slight tartness of berries. Here’s how to prepare them:

Ingredients

• Ready-made puff pastry vol-au-vents (or fresh puff pastry if you prefer to make them yourself)
• 250g of fresh berries (such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
• Powdered sugar to taste
• 200 ml of fresh cream to whip
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (if you want to add sweetness)
• 1 sachet of vanillin or natural vanilla extract

Preparation

1. If you are using fresh puff pastry, cut circles of 8-10 cm in diameter and with another slightly smaller cookie cutter make an incision inside the larger circles without cutting through. Place the cut circles on top of the whole discs and bake at 200 °C for about 10-15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. In the meantime, gently wash the berries and set them aside. If some fruits are quite large, like strawberries, you might want to cut them in half or quarters.

3. Whip the cream with the granulated sugar and vanillin until it becomes firm and fluffy.

4. Once the vol-au-vents have cooled, gently remove the raised center to create a space where you can insert the whipped cream and berries.

5. Use a piping bag to fill the bottom of each vol-au-vent with the whipped cream. Then, add the berries on top of the cream.

6. Finally, dust with powdered sugar before serving.

If you want to make the dessert even richer, you can add a berry sauce by blending some of the berries with a bit of sugar to obtain a coulis and pour it over the vol-au-vents just before serving.

Curiosity

The name “vol-au-vent” means “fly in the wind” in French, suggesting how light the puff pastry is as it bakes, puffing up as if it could flutter in the air. This dessert is a perfect example of the elegance and sophistication of French pastry, even though here it is presented with an Italian twist thanks to the abundant use of fresh berries.