Bouchee a la Reine

Bouchee a la Reine is a specialty composed of vol- au- vent shell filled with chicken / fish with Beshamel.
This recipe focuses on chicken-based filling. You may replace the chicken with fish.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut to small cubes
• 1/2 kg. button mushrooms
• 2 Tbs oil
• 50 gr butter
• 50 gr flour
• 1 lt. milk
• 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, a pinch of pepper
• for the shells - 1 kg puff pastry

Directions

1. Prepare filling:
1. Place the chicken in a saucepan. Cover it with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the chicken meat is tender. 
2. Take off the bones and cut the chicken meat into small pieces. 
3. Cut the onions and carrots to small pieces. 
4. Cut the mushrooms in quarters. 
5. In a frying pan put the oil and cook the onions, then add the carrots. Simmer for a minute. Add the mushrooms. Cook until all the liquid is evaporated.
2. Make a Bechamel sauce:
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Add flour.
• Cook, stirring for 1 minute or until bubbling.
• Remove from heat.
• Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth.
• Add salt, nutmeg and pepper
• Return to heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until sauce is very thick.
• Remove from heat.
3. Add the diced chicken, the cooked onions, carrots and mushrooms to the bechamel sauce.
4. Make vol-au-vent shells:

• Roll out the pastry on a floured surface.
• Each vol- au- vent shell is composed of 2 round layers of 7 cm. diameter.
• You have to cut the central of one of the layers to create a ring.
• Place the pastry ring on top of the  entire one. This doubles the height of the sides of the finished vol- au- vent shell.
• You bake also the middle part which you cut out. You use it as a lid when you serve the bouchee a la reine.
• Preheat the oven to 200C - 220C before putting the unbaked vol- au- vent shells into the oven.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.Once baked they will be firm and well risen.
5. Fill the vol- au- vents rapidly.                 
6. Serve accompanied by green salad.