vol-au-vent

American  

[vaw-loh-vahn] / vɔ loʊˈvɑ̃ /

noun

Cooking.

1. a large shell of light, flaky pastry for filling with vegetable, fish, or meat mixtures, usually with a sauce.

---

vol-au-vent British  

/ vɔlovɑ̃ /

noun

1. a very light puff pastry case filled either with a savoury mixture in a richly flavoured sauce or sometimes with fruit

---

Etymology

Origin of vol-au-vent

1820–30; < French: literally, flight on the wind

Example Sentences

I opted for the classics: onion soup, retro vol-au-vent overflowing with mushrooms and, for dessert, an île flottante heady with vanilla and caramel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Viewers may emerge from “The Taste of Things” desperate to find a restaurant that serves a good vol-au-vent, a turbot in hollandaise sauce or the meringue-coated ice cream confection known as baked alaska.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024

Each course is practically a feast unto itself: vol-au-vent, roasted veal loin, poached turbot, baked Alaska — and that’s just the first half-hour.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2023

Rather than braising it, my grandfather André would cook it in a vol-au-vent and combine with crayfish.

From The Guardian • Mar. 5, 2020

Salpicon is used in timbales, patties, and vol-au-vent.

From The Century Cook Book by Ronald, Mary