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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of vol-au-vent

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vol-au-vent

Jack had reached for a vol-au-vent, swallowed it whole in one bite, rinsed it down with a glass of champagne and seized center stage all in one action.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026

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

"How good an entrée would taste," whispered Lord Cecil Manners to the Earl of Kildare, casting a glance at a neighboring table, where a vol-au-vent of sweetbreads was being passed by the servant.

From The King's Men A Tale of To-morrow by Robert Grant