Yeah, sure I work full-time and have an 8-month old baby. But why should that stop me from trying something a little … daring?

This month I joined the esteemed Daring Kitchen, and September marked my first challenge. Quick background … bakers and chefs from around the world all cook or bake a secret recipe. On the 27th of the month, the Bakers reveal their challenges to the Interwebs via blogs and the DK Web site.

The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Vols-au-Vent

I was a little nervous trying this new challenge, as I simply don’t have the kind of time I used to, to do fun projects like this. Turns out Vols-au-vent was a perfect “rookie” challenge to start with. There is a lot of chilling and waiting and resting required, as the main ingredients in the homemade puff pastry are butter and flour, and the butter must be kept cold for this to work.

To take from the Daring Baker who challenged us to make homemade puff pastry, “Puff pastry is in the ‘laminated dough’ family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the “beurrage”) that is enclosed in dough (called the “détrempe”). This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.”

Impressive, no?

The gist of the challenge … make a dough. Beat the butter. Join the two. Cut out shapes. Stack and bake. Fill with tasty fillings. Voila. Pretty simple.

Yeah, right. I read and re-read the recipe a dozen times. I laid in bed the night before, planning the entire strategy in my head. Then, a few Saturdays ago, I was ready.

I had the babe in the Baby Bjorn with me while I made the flour/water dough. She was also with me when I beat a pound of butter nice and flat with a rolling pin. She loved it. I had her sitting in her exersaucer in the kitchen doorway while I “turned” the dough. I turned it some more while she napped. And again the next morning while she played on her tummy. The final baking occurred on Sunday during yet another nap. With plenty of pre-planning, my weekend of baking was actually quite fun and not stressful.

And my apologies to the husband, for getting flour all over the kitchen. 🙁

The above pastry contains a simple dill egg salad. The ones below some fresh whipped cream and strawberries. I can’t decide if I enjoyed the savory more or the sweet. Probably the sweet. But they were both quite fun and tasted amazing (we do not cook with so much butter, ever. What a treat). While Vols-au-vent are meant to be enjoyed immediately, even the next day the pastry tasted fine as well. Ask the husband. He ate a couple of pastry shells with no filling the next day while I was at work. I might have brought some to work to enjoy during the day as well.

Vols-au-vent with fresh whipped cream and strawberries

I am surprised how much I enjoyed this, and, more importantly, how much easier it was than I thought it would be. Becoming a Daring Baker was terrifying to me, for some reason. Almost to the point where I wished I hadn’t signed up to do it. But when they took me in, I couldn’t disappoint. I’m glad I am doing this, if only to get me out of a general rut I’ve been feeling this year. Possibly connected with having a baby. I love my child, but I really need to have something outside the realm of being Mom and Employee. I used to be a rower. I am still a baker. Thanks, Daring Bakers, for giving me a chance to spread the wings. And the butter. Whoop!

I still shudder a little bit with fear when I think about next month’s challenge. But I know I’m going to do it. I may not rock it, but that’s not my goal right now.

By the way, the pastry shells in the above pics were four or so of the best ones. There were many that did not make the cut. Here’s a shot of “When Vols-au-vent Goes Bad”:

When bad things happen to good Vols-au-vent

Centers puffed up. Sides were lopsided. Oh, and those are supposed to be CIRCLES … not ovals. Alas, they still tasted great. I am proud to say I have a stack of homemade puff pastry sitting in my freezer right now. Yum.