Crunchy, buttery cashews, tender chicken and crisp broccoli surrounded by a luscious Gouda Cream Sauce served in flaky, melt-in-your mouth puff pastry shells. An elegant dinner that looks difficult to make, but it’s really pretty simple and oh so delicious!
Vols-au-Vent, pronounced voool-oh-vaw, are little puff pastry shells you can fill with sweet or savory fillings. I made dinner size shells and filled them with creamy cashew chicken.
The shells are easy to make with frozen puff pastry sheets available at most supermarkets. You can make them round, but I used a flower cookie cutter to give them a pretty ruffled edge.
I created this recipe for the Cache Valley® Signature Recipe Contest! and it was chosen as one of two $1,000 winners! Thanks Cache Valley! So glad you loved this recipe as much as my family.
I can’t say enough good things about Cache Valley products, especially their new Gouda cheese. It melts like a dream and adds a creamy, buttery, richness to the sauce. It would be fabulous in your favorite mac and cheese recipe, or melted over your favorite sandwich.
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry sheets
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup half and half
- 5 slices Cache Valley Gouda Cheese
- 3 tablespoons Cache Valley butter
- 1/2 cup cashew nuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups uncooked chicken, chopped
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped into small bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary leaves
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup Gouda Cream Sauce (recipe above)
Directions
- Thaw puff pastry sheets according to package directions. Preheat oven to 400º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each sheet of dough into a rectangle approximately 11”x 8”.
- Using a 3.5” round cookie cutter cut 6 large circles in each sheet. Inside 6 of the circles, using a 2.5” round cookie cutter, cut a hole in the middle to make rings. The rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent and the solid rounds will be the bottoms.
- Mix together egg and tablespoon of water to create an egg wash. Put the solid bottom rounds on baking sheet. Brush the bottom rounds lightly with egg wash.
- Top each bottom round with a ring and press gently into place. Brush the top of the rings lightly with egg wash. Prick the center of the shells with a fork. Place shells in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly add half and half, stirring constantly until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in Gouda slices until smooth and creamy. Add additional half and half if necessary to thin sauce to desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste
- In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter and cook cashews until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove cashews from pan and set aside.
- Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add chicken and onions, sauté stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and onions are tender. Add water, broccoli, and rosemary. Cover and cook until broccoli is tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add toasted cashews and 1/2 cup Gouda Cream Sauce. Stir to combine.
- Make puff pastry shells and put in the refrigerator to chill.
- Prepare Gouda Cream Sauce and keep warm on low heat.
- Prepare Creamy Cashew Chicken.
- Bake shells 15 – 20 minutes until they have risen and are golden brown. Remove from the oven and prick the center of the shells to deflate center.
- Spoon Creamy Cashew Chicken into shells and drizzle with remaining Gouda Cream Sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Visit Cache Valley’s Facebook page to see the top 20 winning recipes.
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
Yuuuummmmyyy! That is a retro speciality I adore! I love this version with cashews.
Cheers,
Rosa
Congrats on the win. It looks beautiful and delicious.
Ummm.. These look outstanding! I love Cashew Chicken. Brilliant idea with the puff pastry shells too.
How interesting and different. Would never think to have cashew chicken in a cream sauce and on top of a puff but it’s amazing!
I love these Barbara! I am having company in a few weeks, these will be perfect appetizers.
Yeah on the win! You deserve it and these look like the ultimate appetizer. Ultimate!
These look delicious! Congrats!
~Judy
I made some vols au vent a few years ago for a Daring Bakers challenge (though I did a more sweet filling, of course). They’re so fun to make, and so tasty. I love what you’ve done with yours, they sound absolutely divine!
congrats on winning–well-deserved, this looks great!
Congratulations on winning the prize money! I really am very happy for you. I think these vols-au-vents look so pleasing. I can see why you won with them.
Love these – what an awesome appetizer!
Congratulations on the win!!! I love chicken and cashews together in anything usually. I don’t believe I’ve ever tried Gouda before. These look so pretty and perfect for dinner or as an appetizer.
I love anything with puff pastry. The flower shape looks so pretty. I’m thinking little versions of these would be very cute.
Ils sont superbes et le feuilleté est bien réussi
Je te souhaite une belle après midi
Valérie
These are the prettiest vol au vents I have ever seen! I remember them from the 1970′s…!
I just love your flower shaped vol-au-vent! And they sound so good! Definitely bookmarked!
Congrats on the win! These are simply delicious looking – a wonderful dish. I just discovered your blog and love it – I’ve signed up to follow and looking forward to more!
mary x
Congratulations, Barbara! I can see why this amazing recipe was chosen a winner. This dish is so elegant and using premade puff pastry eliminates a huge part of the work involved. I think this would make a lovely New Year’s Eve supper. Bookmarked.
That looks terrific! I love the cream sauce.
Congratulation on the 1k win, Barb! Personally, I think they’re priceless. What a fantastic recipe! The combo of chicken with cashews has always been a favorite (Chinese take-out), so this is a completely new way to try it. LOVE the gouda sauce! This brings back memories of the ’09 DB challenge for Vols-au-Vents, where I made like 5 lbs of puff pastry and enough Vols-au-Vents fillings to cater 200 guest wedding lol
Cutest appetizers I’ve seen in a while
Congratulations! Those little bites look super.
Congratulations, Barbara. No one works harder or deserves it more. What a beautiful entree.
Congratulations on the win, Barbara. This recipe certainly deserves it! Really an elegant and delicious dish!
Congratulations on winning! I love the flower shapes!
mmmm, you had me at puff pastry, delicious!
Oh we made these in school and I forgot about how good they were! Thanks, and i love the flower shape, makes if way prettier.
Congratulations! This is a wonderful recipe (and gorgeous, I might add). They have New Year’s or Oscar night written all over them.
Congratulations Barbara! What a well deserved win.I love cashews, and they must be delicious paired with the chicken.
Mmmm Barbara, these are fabulous! Where do I start? Love the addition of cashews and broccoli to the normal vol-au-vent filling. And the gouda cheese sauce puts it over the top! They are beautiful! Your recipe so deserved to win! Congratulations!
Gosh, these are my favourite. I am drooooooling……
Hope you’re having a fabulous time & Happy festive season to you, Barbara.
Enjoy & have loads of fun.
Kristy
Congrats Barbara! These sound amazing and they look beautiful and kinda fancy:-). Every component of this recipe sounds unique and flavorful!
Fabulous recipe, I love the flower shape! Congrats on the win, well deserved!
These sound and look wonderful.
I’m stuck at “5 slices Cache Valley Gouda Cheese”
This brand is not available where I live. Can you please provide either a volume or a weight for the amount of gouda cheese required?
Thanks! It would be approximately 4 oz. of thinly sliced gouda cheese.