Galette des Rois

Galette des Rois (cake of the kings) is a traditional dessert for Epiphany in France. Epiphany, a Christian holiday, is traditionally the 6th of January. Epiphany not only celebrates the birth of Christ but also commemorates the arrival of the Magii.

I adore Galette des Rois and have evaluated several recipes. This recipe is a slight variation on the one found at Chocolate and Zuchinni.

Oh, it’s sooooo good!

Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry (at least 1 pound), thawed according to package directions
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted ground almonds, grind super fine (if you can find almond meal/flour at your grocer’s then that will be the easiest)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon butter (1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons) at room temperature
• 5/8 cup sugar (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (called cornflour in the UK and Maizena in France)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or the liqueur of your choice
• 1 capful (about 1/8 teaspoon) of almond extract

Directions for Almond Cream (the frangipane)

• Process almonds in your food processor until very fine and measure out 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon.
• Combine the almond “flour” with sugar and process in food processor again. Add room temperature butter, Grand Marnier and corn starch. Process until smooth (smooth will be relative to how fine you processed your almonds), adding eggs one at a time.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour (or longer – this can be made a day ahead).

Almond cream mixture – frangipane

Assembly of Galette des Rois

• Let your puff pastry thaw in the refrigerator for a day and then roll out on a floured surface. Cut two circles. I use the bottom of my tarte dish as the template for the circle because I want to be able to place the galette in this dish to cook. As the top circle should be slightly larger, I then roll one circle of dough a bit more so that it extends beyond the diameter of the first by about ½ inch.
• Whisk together 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water. Place the smaller circle of pastry on a silicone baking sheet (or cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper) and brush the outside 1-inch with the egg mixture. Be careful and do not let the wash run over the edge as this will keep the puff from puffing up.
• Gently spread the almond cream in the center up to the egg mixture and place the fève (a porcelain trinket or an almond) near the edge of the cream. Do not place it in the center and be sure it is lined up with the diameter of the circle or you will be more likely to hit it as you cut the slices. Press the fève gently into the almond cream near the edge. Whoever gets the fève in their slice has luck and prosperity for the upcoming year and is king/queen for the day!
  

  Place the feve or an almond

  Topping off with a bit of decorating

• Lay the larger circle of pastry on top, smooth so that there are no air bubbles under the top pastry and press down all the way around to seal the edge.
•  Use the back of your knife to press in (draw in) the design on your Galette des Rois.  I drew arcs to simulate a flower. At the tip of each arc, make small pleats in the dough to obtain a ruffled effect for your flower.
  

  Three almonds for the center of my flower (three for the trinity)

• Brush the top with the egg wash (be careful to not get the wash on the edges as you want this to puff up beautifully).
  

  Resting in the Fridge

• Place in the refrigerator for an hour. Some recipes have you move the galette to your baking dish prior to placing in the refrigerator. I find that it is difficult to move unless the galette is firm so I refrigerate before transferring to the tarte dish.
• Transfer the galette to a tarte dish, large pie plate, jelly roll pan or cheesecake pan with removable sides.

Ready for the oven!

• Preheat the oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until the top is evenly golden.

• Dissolve 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar in 1 tablespoon hot water. When the galette is done, brush with the sugar mixture and return to the oven for 2 minutes maximum to create a beautiful finish.
  

  Fresh from the oven

   

• Let cool on a wire rack before serving and don’t be shocked when it sinks because that is what it is supposed to do.
  Remember all the corners you cut off as you were cutting the circle of dough? Brush those with the egg wash, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar and back for 10-15 minutes. They are delightful breakfast treats!
  

  Breakfast treats