A Puff of Wind

• Puff pastry is made by preparing a sturdy dough, then wrapping it around a block of butter. After being rolled and folded a specific number of times, this forms hundreds of layers of fine layers of dough interspersed with butter. When baked, this relatively thin dough puffs up to four times its original size. Bakers take advantage of this exuberant expansion to make small pastry shells, referred to as "bouchees" -- little bites -- or the more descriptive "vol au vents," or puffs of wind, referring to the lightness and airiness of the finished shell.

Making Your Shells

• There are a few commonly used techniques for making these shells. The traditional method calls for a square or round base of puff pastry, heavily pricked with a fork to keep it from rising. Then a second piece of dough is cut to make a narrow strip in the same size and shape. The base remains flat, while the border puffs to full height and makes the sides of the shell. A simpler method uses just one piece of dough. The middle section is marked with a shallow cut, then the shell is baked until light and fluffy. When they're done, the middle is removed to create a hollow for filling.

The Shell Game

• To bake up a supply of shells, use either of those techniques. Arrange them evenly on a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving room between for the air to circulate, and bake them at 375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit until they're puffed, crisp and golden. You can give them a deeper color by brushing the edges with beaten egg, before they're baked. If you plan to store your shells for more than a day or two, let them dry with the oven door open and the heat off for another 30 minutes after they're baked. Store them in an airtight container for up to a month before using them. If you live in a humid climate, they might need to be crisped briefly in a warm oven.

Freezing Your Shells

• Your shells won't spoil after a month, but they will begin to taste stale if you store them for too long. To avoid this, you can freeze them in their airtight container. Use a container rather than a bag, because the shells are very fragile and can easily be damaged by your other frozen foods. Alternatively, you might choose to freeze some shells still unbaked. The pastry bakes beautifully from frozen, and the unbaked dough is much less delicate than finished shells. Keep baked shells no longer than two months for best quality, but unbaked pastry can be kept for as long as six months without loss of quality if they're well wrapped.