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In the scene that has inspired our dinner party's first bite, we see Remy displaying his culinary prowess for the first time. We learn that for him, food is a full sensory experience, as his Synesthesia means he can see and hear flavour, allowing him to transform something downright ordinary into something truly extraordinary. A foraged mushroom paired with some discarded cheese, and just a hint of rosemary, which comes alive when struck by lightening. Très bien.
As mushrooms don’t puff up without lightening, we're taking little creative licence with these bite size treats, and are bringing the puff (pastry) to the mushroom. To save a little energy, you can buy ready made vol-au-vont cases but they can be quite dry, so we think that it's worth taking the time to bake some fresh, using ready made puff pastry.
Thankfully, we eventually managed to track down Remy's beloved Tomme de Chevre cheese, but we did have to order it online, and warning... it was a pretty penny. We sourced it from this place. You don't need very much of it so for ease of effort and pennies, you can sub it out for another semi-hard goats cheese that's cheaper, and easier to get hold of. In the spirit of authenticity, we went for it and ordered Remy's fave, and honestly... it was stun.
To replicate that lighteningy flavour without causing major injury, we used a blow torch, and were surprised to find what an impact it had on the flavour. It adds an incredible smokiness and depth that really finishes things off. If you don't have a blow torch, you could pop the canapes under the grill, but you have less control with this method and run the risk of burning the pastry. This is the first of two blow torch requiring recipes in this menu so if you want to replicate this feast at home, it might be worth biting the bullet and getting a new fiery friend. This is the one that is used in the video.
MUSHROOM & TOMME DE CHEVRE VOL-AU-VONT
INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
150g ready-made puff pastry (1/2 a pre-rolled sheet)
1 egg- beaten
300g mushrooms
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 clove garlic - crushed
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp creme fraiche
½ tsp lemon juice
Truffle salt or oil (optional)
50g Tomme de Chevre (sub with a semi hard goats cheese)
Fresh rosemary
METHOD
PASTRY
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan. If using a block of pastry, roll out to 2 mm thick.
Using a cookie cutter, approx 1.6 inches in diameter, cut out 24 circles of dough, and transfer to a lined baking sheet.
With a smaller, 1 inch cookie cutter, create an indentation in the centre of each of the pastry circles, making sure not to cut all the way through the dough.
Using the beaten egg and a pastry brush, egg wash the pastry circles. Try to only cover the tops with and avoid getting egg down the sides, as this will affect how they rise.
Bake for 10 - 15 mins until risen, and golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack, and leave to cool completely.
Once cooled, using the handle of a wooden spoon, push down the centre of the pastry. Where you created an indentation with the smaller cookie cutter you should get a clean edge, forming a little cup.
FILLING
Roughly chop the mushrooms into medium pieces, of roughly equal size.
In a frying pan on a high heat, dry fry the mushrooms for approx 8 mins, until all the moisture escapes, evaporates, and the mushrooms brown.
Then, reduce the heat, add the butter, thyme leaves, garlic, and lemon zest. Cook for a further 2 - 3 mins, until the garlic is translucent and fragrant.
Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl or measuring jug, and add the creme fraiche, lemon juice, and truffle salt or oil to taste. nb: if not using truffle salt, season with regular salt to taste.
Blend until smooth using an immersion blender. Leave to cool to room temperature.
PIPING
Fill a piping bag with the mushroom filling, and pipe into the pastry cases, filling to the lip.
Thinly slice the cheese using a cheese slicer or vegetable peeler. Using the smaller cookie cutter from earlier, cut 24 circles of cheese, and place on each vol-au-vont, on top of the mushroom filling.
Using a blow torch, melt + char the cheese. nb: alternatively, place the vol-au-vonts under a medium grill for a couple of minutes- keep a very close eye on them!
Place a couple of rosemary leaves on top of each vol-au-vont, and optionally blow torch the leaves to char a little, and make them extra lightningy!
