Vol Au Vents with Chicken and Morels

Puff pastry:

1. First make the dough, this is known as the détrempe. Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and rub the butter in using your fingertips until the butter is incorporated and invisible. 
2. Mix together the water and white wine vinegar in a separate bowl, then pour into the bowl and mix until a dough forms. Do not over mix. Wrap the dough and rest in the fridge for 1- 2 hours.
3. Prepare the butter (known as the tourage) by pounding it into a flat rectangle between two large sheets of baking parchment with a rolling pin. Wrap and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours (or until it’s the same temperature as the chilled dough).
4. Now we need to laminate the butter into the dough. Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle. You want the prepared butter to be ¾ of the size of the rolled out dough. Place your butter further to the top of the rectangle shaped dough. Fold the bottom side of the dough to the middle. Fold the top part over this. The butter should be completely enclosed in the pastry.
5. Turn the dough a quarter clockwise so it looks like a book you can open out and roll to about 1.3cm/1/2 inch thick, you need to fold it into thirds to make a single turn (also known as a letter fold). Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. 
6. Roll the dough out vertically again to another rectangular about 1.3cm/1/2 inch thick and make another single turn (letter fold). Wrap the pastry in baking parchment and rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
7. Rotate the puff pastry a quarter clockwise after resting and before rolling out again. It should look like a book you can open out before you begin rolling. Repeat the same process as above and wrap and rest the pastry in the fridge again for 1-2 hours or overnight. 
8. Your puff pastry is now ready. Puff pastry can keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or 4 weeks in the freezer. 

Prepare the Vol Au Vent cases:

1. Roll out the puff pastry to 5 mm thickness. Using a 4” round cutter, cut 8 pastry circles.
2. To create the Rings take 4 of those circles, and with a 3” cutter, cut a smaller circle inside each to form rings. Do not remove the inner circle — leaving it in place attached provides baking stability of the cases.
3. To assemble, brush the surface of the remaining 4 whole pastry discs lightly with water. Place the ring-shaped pastry pieces (with center still in place) directly on top of each brushed disc, aligning them carefully.
4. Brush the assembled pastry stacks with egg wash and refrigerate for 2 hours to help with puff and structure.
5. Once chilled, egg wash again just before baking. Place the four assembled Vol Au Vent cases on a parchment-lined tray and bake in a 180°C fan oven for 30 minutes, or until golden and puffed.

Filling  

1. Season chicken legs with salt and pepper and leave for 5-10 mins
2. Add 400ml of cold water to chicken and 200ml of sweet dessert wine in a heavy based sauce pan.
3. Cook for 30-40 mins until tender
4. Remove chicken from pan and retain liquid and pick chicken off the bones.
5. Half the morels and saute them in salt and pepper with butter in a separate pan. 
6. To make a roux - melt butter and add flour on medium heat, cook for 5-6 mins until slightly golden. 
7. Mix in some of the stock and whisking as you go on medium heat in 3 stages until it thickens. 
8. Add creme fraiche and whisk in.
9. Fold in all the chicken and remaining ingredients. Season to taste. 
10. Add sliced asparagus in half inches and the cooked morels. Cook for 5-10min.
11.  Spoon mixture hot into pastry. 

Green Salad

1. Stir all ingredients in a small bowl with a small whisk or a fork until the ingredients are completely mixed together.
2. Taste, and adjust as necessary. If the mixture is too acidic, thin it out with a bit more olive oil.
3. Pour over/toss the salad leaves in the dressing.