GALETTE DES ROIS
How Not to Break a Tooth Eating This Dessert
Today is January 6th, the day every French kid (whether born in France or of French parents) looks forward to. The holidays have come and gone. Today is the day we get to eat Galette des Rois, or King’s Cake.
As a sweetener, parents (or the pastry shop) hides a small figurine sandwiched among the warm rum scented layers of frangipane (almond cream) and puff pastry. The figurine, also known as a feve, used to be a small bean but changed to a ceramic figurine sometime in the late 1800s. The change guaranteed the chance to break your tooth if you weren’t careful. Whoever finds the feve gets to wear a crown and be king or queen for the day!
The best news of all is that you don’t have to wait until January 6th to eat this great dessert. The rest of the year it is called almond pithivier.
Join me today as I take an in-depth look at how to make Galette des Rois. The video has chapters for those you who just want to jump to the good parts. Enjoy!
Post pictures with the hashtag #PistouAndPastis so we can see your creations.
Galette des Rois (King’s Cake, Almond Pithivier)
ingredients for 1–10 inch Galette, 8 servings
- 2–10 inch circles (about 1/8 inch thick) of all-butter puff pastry — Preferably use an all-butter version, but Pepperidge Farms will do in a pinch
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 feve (bean, figurine, stone)
for the frangipane (almond cream)
- 1 cup almond flour (almond meal)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- pinch sea salt
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (4 ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 orange zested
- 1 ounce of dark rum
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
directions
To make the frangipane, in a food processor, process the almond flour, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, orange zest, rum, and almond extract together until very smooth, about 30 seconds. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix it by hand, but it will take much longer and the final consistency will be a little coarser.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or sheet of parchment paper. Place the puff pastry circles on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the outer edge of 1 puff pastry circle with your beaten egg. Spoon the frangipane into the center of 1 circle. Evenly spread out leaving a 1-inch border free and clear of any frangipane. If you are putting in a feve do so now. Make a little secret mark on the galette to be sure your little one gets the feve (and so no one breaks a tooth). Place the second circle of puff pastry over the top and press down to seal the edges.
Put 2 fingers on the 1-inch border facing out from the center of the galette and draw the backside of a butter knife towards you. This simple technique will create a visually stunning border that will elevate your pastry making to an art form. Place the galette into your refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Using the backside of a paring knife, cut a pattern into the top of the galette. Classically, it is semi-circles spiraling out of the center. This is solely for show and does not affect the final flavor so if you want you can skip it. Be sure to only score the top and not to actually cut all the way through the dough. Brush the top with the beaten egg then bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
