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Ham and piccalilli vol-au-vent

An average of 0.0 out of 5 stars from 0 ratings
Prepare
1-2 hours
Cook
10 to 30 mins
Serve
Makes 12
Dietary
Nut-free

Turn festive leftovers into a nostalgic canapé, combining the flavours of Christmas and New Year in a truly ‘70s style.

Ingredients

For the pastry

For the sprout slaw

For the filling

  • 200g/7oz leftover baked ham or braised ham hock (any cooked ham works)
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
  • ½ lemon, zest only
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the piccalilli dressing

To garnish (optional)

  • fresh chives, chopped
  • fried sage leaves
  • pork scratchings

Method

  1. To make the pastry, take your shop bought puff pastry and cut into the size of 50p piece circles. Using a slightly smaller cutter, indent the middle to make a small border around the outside.

  2. Then, use a sharp knife to score the inside circle – this will allow the centre to not rise as much as the edges and will make it easier to cut and hollow out the inside of your vol-au-vents.

  3. Once you have scored your puff pastry, brush lightly with egg wash and allow to rest for 20 minutes, in the fridge, before cooking.

  4. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

  5. Place the puff pastry circles onto the baking tray and bake for 12–16 minutes, until your puff pastry is completely cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cold, carefully cut out the middle section of each one, keeping the bottom of the pastry intact, and scoop out the inside. Set aside until needed.

  6. To make the sprout slaw, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

  7. To make the ham, place the ham into a bowl and break up with your fingers into small pieces as well as leaving some slightly larger chunks, then add your chopped herbs, lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

  8. To make the piccalilli dressing, put 50ml/1¾fl oz of the vinegar into a bowl with the mustard powder, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin and flour and mix well to a paste.

  9. Meanwhile, place the rest of the vinegar into a saucepan with the sugar, bay leaves and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil.

  10. Once boiling, carefully add your mustard vinegar mix and stir well. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 5–6 minutes until your sauce starts to thicken. Check the seasoning and place in a clean bowl and allow to cool. This will keep for a long time in a clean jar in your fridge to use time and time again.

  11. When you’re ready to serve your vol-au-vents, place the puff pastry into the oven (170C/150C Fan/Gas 3½) for 2 minutes to warm through.

  12. Meanwhile, spoon some of the dressing over the cooked ham mixture and check for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper as needed.

  13. Once you have removed the puff pastry cases from the oven, place a teaspoon of your sprout slaw into the bottom and top up with the cooked ham mixture – and I mean really fill it up, like Mont Blanc! Garnish with some chopped chives, deep-fried sage leaves or pork scratchings, if you like.

Recipe tips

If you wish to turn the dressing into a classic piccalilli, just add some salted, diced vegetables to your mix.