Growing up I went to a French immersion elementary and middle school. All of my classes were in French, besides English, and we would learn a lot about French customs and traditions. One of my fondest memories as a children was right after winter break, in the beginning of January, when one of my teachers (most of them being from France or French speaking countries), would bring in a Galette des Rois for my classmates and I to enjoy. We would all argue about which one of us would get the fève. One year, I got it and was able to able to wear the paper crown and rule over my kingdom for the day.
If you’re a bit confused about what I was referring to above let me give you a bit of background on the galette des rois. Every year in France, starting in December, all of the bakeries or patisseries make this seasonal dessert in anticipation of the celebration of the Epiphany, on January 6th. The galette des rois or Kings cake, is a cake made of layers of puff pastry stuffed with an almond filling. It is super delicious and quite simple to make.
The fève (bean), I referred to, is a small trinket or prize that is baked inside the galette, and whom ever gets it, gets to be the king (or queen) for the day. Because small trinkets and toys can be a choking hazard, or do damage to your teeth, it’s perfectly acceptable (now a days) to use a whole almond or piece of dried fruit as the fève.
This isn’t my first time making a galette des rois here on the blog. In this post, I made it a different way in celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The two are fairly similar but this preparation is a lot easier because you don’t have to make the dough!
To see exactly how simple it is to make, check out the recipe below. Be sure to let me know if you’ve ever had a galette or decide to make this one in the comment section.
You guys peep the Bajan Rum? I had to rep my hood lol
Galette Des Rois
Almond Filling
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- zest 1/2 orange (unsprayed)
- 3 1/2 ounces unsalted butter ( cubed, at room temperature)
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons rum
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 pound puff pastry (divided in two pieces, chilled)
- 1 a whole piece of almond or candied fruit to be the fève
Glaze
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon milk
- To make the almond filling, in a medium bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the almond flour, sugar, salt, and orange zest. Mash in the butter until it’s completely incorporated. Stir in the eggs one at a time, along with the rum and almond extract. (The mixture may not look completely smooth, which is normal.) Cover and chill.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On lightly floured surface, roll one piece of puff pastry into a circle about 9 1/2-inches (23cm) round. Using a pot lid, plate, or bottom of springform pan as a template, trim the dough into neat circle. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
- Cover it with a sheet of parchment paper or plastic film, then roll the other piece of dough into a circle, trim it, and lay it on top. Chill the dough for thirty minutes.
- Remove the dough and almond filling from the refrigerator. Slide the second circle of dough and parchment or plastic from pan so that there is only one circle of dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the almond filling over the center of the dough, leaving a 1-inch (3cm) exposed border. Place an almond or piece of candied fruit to act as the fève (prize) somewhere in the almond filling, if you wish.
- Brush water generously around the exposed perimeter of the dough then place the other circle of dough on top of the galette and press down to seal the edges very well. (At this point, you may wish to chill the galette since it’ll be a bit easier to finish and decorate, although it’s not necessary. It can be refrigerated overnight at this point, if you wish.)
- To bake the galette, preheat the oven to 375ºF (180ºC.) Flute the sides of the dough (as shown in the photo) and use a paring knife to create a design on top. Stir together the egg yolk with the milk and brush it evenly over the top – avoid getting the glaze on the sides, which will inhibit the pastry from rising at the edges. Use a paring knife to poke 5 holes in the top, to allow steam escape while baking.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the galette is browned on top and up the sides. (During baking, if the galette puffs up too dramatically in the oven, you may want to poke it once or twice again with a paring knife to release the steam.) Remove from the oven and slide the galette off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. The galette will deflate as it cools, which is normal. Serve warm or at room temperature.
When working with puff pastry, it’s important to keep it well-chilled and work quickly when rolling as it tends to get stubborn as it warms up. Keep the second piece in the refrigerator until after you’ve rolled out the first. After rolling, brush off any excess flour. And make sure to seal the edges really well to avoid the filling leaking out.Frozen puff pastry can often be found in the freezer section of well-stocked supermarkets. Avoid brand that list fats other than butter in the ingredients for best results
Recipe adapted form David Lebovitz
This sounds awesome . My friends do FAT Night on the first Friday of ever month. Imagine going to make this next month.
Author
This Galette would be a perfect for you Fat night! Thanks so much for reading a commenting!!