Galette des Rois

Galette des Rois 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.

Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry (at least 1 pound), thawed according to package directions
• 3/4 cup unsalted ground almonds, grind super fine (if you can find almond meal 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 + 2 tablespoons)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or the liqueur of your choice.

  Directions: Almond Cream

• Process almonds in your food processor until very fine and measure out ¾ cup.
• Combine ¾ cup of almonds 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).

Directions: 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 into two circles. I use a plate as the template for the circle. 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 plate 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 a larger bean) 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.

  

• 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. At the tip of each arc, use the back of your knife to push in the dough toward the center about ¼ inch so that you get an overall flower appearance when finished.

   

• Brush the top with the egg wash (be careful about the edges as you want this to puff up beautifully).

   

• Place in the refrigerator for another hour.
• Transfer the galette to a tarte dish, large pie plate, jelly roll pan or cheesecake pan with removable sides. As you can see, my tarte dish was slightly smaller than my galette!

   

• Refrigerate for another hour.
• 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 galette is done, brush with the sugar mixture and return to the oven for 2 minutes maximum to create a beautiful finish.
• 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.
• Bon Appetit!My fève nativity.

  

   

Source: www.france-travel-info.com