37 patty shell recipes

Puff pastry patty shells (vol-au-vent cases) with golden flaky walls and a hollow center for creamy fillings. Two-ingredient pastry cases that bake sky-high from frozen rounds.

Lobster tails in patty shells spoons sweet lobster meat in a sauterne-spiked cream sauce with mushrooms, olives, and pimento into golden puff pastry shells. A retro special-occasion dinner straight from the supper-club era.

Plump shucked oysters in a buttery cream sauce seasoned with mace and nutmeg, spooned into flaky patty shells. A classic seafood appetizer or elegant holiday main course.

Flaky puff pastry shells filled with orange-scented cream cheese whipped cream and topped with cherry pie filling. A dinner party dessert that looks dressed up but takes 30 minutes.

Raspberry Alaskas tuck fresh raspberries and vanilla ice cream inside crisp puff pastry shells, then cloak the whole thing in glossy meringue and flash it under high heat for a hot-and-cold dessert that hits the table the second it browns.

Beef Wellington, a true centerpiece roast: a beef tenderloin wrapped in a mushroom, pate, and Cognac duxelles and flaky puff pastry, then baked golden. An elegant special-occasion main that carves into pink slices.

Parisienne fruit tart layers crisp puff pastry with vanilla cream and bananas, glazes it with apricot, then crowns it with whipped cream, grapes, and pineapple. A showpiece French pastry from simple shortcuts.

Curry-dusted chicken strips simmered with Amaretto, mushrooms, and lemon in a silky sauce, served in flaky patty shells. A surprisingly elegant weeknight dinner.

Oysters Mosca: chopped fresh oysters cooked down with garlic, scallions, lemon, and Romano cheese, then spooned into puff pastry shells. The classic Italian-Creole New Orleans appetizer from the legendary Mosca's restaurant.

Jamaican beef patties with curried ground beef filling in a flaky turmeric-tinted pastry shell. Baked golden and freezer-friendly. Makes about 30 patties for parties or meal prep.

Diced leftover turkey in a creamy mushroom sauce with green peppers and pimiento, served over rice or in patty shells. The best way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers in 35 minutes.

Patty Ann's cheese cake tarts: bite-size cream cheese pastry shells with two fillings, pecan and coconut. Muffin-tin desserts for holiday cookie trays.

Cajun crab in a rich Swiss cheese and cream sauce with mushrooms, scallions, and dry vermouth, spiked with cayenne. Serve in patty shells or scooped up with crusty French bread.

Oysters Tyler: baked oysters on the half shell topped with a crabmeat, scallion, and Parmesan patty. A Gulf Coast seafood appetizer for holiday tables or oyster-bar feasts.

Savory filo cheese cups, crisp phyllo shells brushed with hazelnut oil and filled with a herbed goat cheese and fromage blanc custard, then baked until golden and puffed. An elegant vegetarian party bite.

Snails Sommeroise is a rustic French escargot dish: snails simmered with herbs, then browned in a savory tangle of bacon, ground walnuts, anchovy and garlic and served over a bed of wilted spinach.