For the case prepare fine puff-pastry (as at p. 215). Cut out rounds, or shapes, with cutters made for the purpose. If a high case be desired there should be at least four layers of pastry a quarter of an inch thick. Each of these should be lightly wetted with white of egg. Place the case on a floured baking sheet, taking great care to keep the shape. With a cutter of the same form, but two or three sizes smaller, make an incision within an inch of the edge, take your sharp knife and cut down carefully round this mark to within one layer of paste from the bottom. Brush over the edges of the case with the yolk of an egg, and bake it in a good oven, care being had that it is not so hot as to brown the outside of the crust, which would prevent its rising. A pound case will take about three-quarters of an hour to bake; when done remove from the centre with a sharp knife all the soft greasy portion. When ready to serve, the case must be re-warmed, and can be filled with any delicate preparation of oysters, sweetbread, chicken, turbot, salmon quenelles, and other things, but with whatever is used a rich, highly-flavoured, yet delicate sauce must be added.

The following is given as an example:- Take the inferior parts of a chicken, such as the drumsticks, the back and the neck with all the bones, reserving the white meat either to make the vol au vent, or for some other entree; or, use a small young rabbit, with a slice of ham, an onion, a pound of the scrag of the neck of veal, an onion, and a dozen button mushrooms. Boil for three hours in two quarts of water, by which time it should be reduced to a quart. Strain the gravy, take off all fat, boil it in a stewpan without the lid until reduced to half a pint. Mix a dessertspoonful of fine flour in a gill of cream, stir it into the gravy and simmer for five minutes, add salt and cayenne pepper, then put into the sauce, which will very well represent a sauce financiere, pieces of cooked sweetbread, cut into dice, cockscombs, stewed button mushrooms, and, if you will afford them, truffles. Let all get hot through without coming to the boiling point, and lastly add a few oysters cut in quarters.

A good cook will be able to prepare the sauce and materials for a vol aw vent at a moderate expense, and it will often happen that the basis of the gravy is at hand from the boiling of poultry and the remains of that used for other dishes, the special flavour of the sauce being given by mushrooms, oyster liquor, or ham.