Meat Stuffing For Vol-au-vent Recipe

(Ripieno di carne per pasticcini di pasta sfoglia)

This stuffing can be made either with stewed veal or chicken giblets or

sweetbreads. The latter are preferable, being more delicate and a taste

of truffles greatly improves the stuffing. If sweetbreads are used, put

them on the fire with a piece of butter and season with salt and pepper.

When they have begun to take color, complete the cooking with some brown

stock, then cut them in pieces as little as a bean. Add one or two

spoons of Balsamella (see No. 54) a little tongue, one or two slices

of ham cut in little squares, a pinch of grated cheese and a taste of

nutmeg, seeing that the ingredients are in such quantities as to make

the mixture tasty and delicate. Leave it cool well, as in this way it

hardens and can be worked better.

In order to enclose it in pate shells made with puff-paste (see No. 57)

there are two ways. One is to cook the shells filled with the stuffing,

the other to fill them after they are cooked. In the first case put the

stuffing in the prepared disk of paste, moisten the edge with a wet

finger, cover with another disk of paste and cook. In the second case,

which is more convenient because the shells can be prepared one day

before, the two disks are put together without the stuffing, but in the

upper disk a circular cut must be made as large as a half dollar coin.

The pate on cooking swells and leaves an empty space in the interior.

Lifting with the point of a knife the little circle above, which has the

form of a cover, the interior space can be made larger, filled with the

stuffing and covered with the little cover. In this way it is enough to

warm them before sending to the table. The puff-paste must always be

glazed with the yolk of eggs.

If a large vol-au-vent is to be filled instead of little pate-shells, a

ragout of chicken giblets and sweetbread, cut in large pieces, is

better.