A galette des rois is the traditional Epiphany (or Twelfth Night) dessert in France and I like to make one to keep the tradition alive in our house. It's a creamy frangipane filling sandwiched between two sheets of buttery, flaky pastry. Hidden in the almond filling is a little figurine called a fève and whoever has it in their slice is crowned king or queen for the day.
It's very simple to make and I cheat by using shop-bought puff pastry. Two packets of ready-rolled (375g each) make a good sized galette that will give 8 slices. Or use one 750g pack and roll on a floured board to a thickness of roughly 4 mm. I usually make them round by cutting two 20-25cm circles in the rolled pastry and I keep those in the fridge whilst I prepare the filling.
In my mixer, I lightly cream 100g of softened, unsalted butter then I add 100 g of caster sugar and beat again until the mixture is pale and fluffy. In a small jug, I beat one large egg with one egg yolk (I keep the separated white for the next step) which I add gradually to the creamed butter and sugar. When the eggs are well incorporated into the mixture, I add 120g of ground almonds, 60g of flaked almonds and 1 tsp of almond extract. I let this rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Pop your fève in the filling now if you are using one.
To assemble, I place one of the circles on a lined baking tray and spoon the frangipane filling in the middle with a 2cm gap at the edge of the pastry. I brush that rim of pastry with a little of the reserved egg white beaten with one medium egg and then lay the second pastry circle on top, sealing the edges down. I use a fork for that or make indentations with my fingers. I then put it back in the fridge for about 10 minutes and turn my fan oven on to 200 °C.
When the galette has rested, I brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and score it with a knife. Traditional designs have a wiggly line going from the centre to the edge (similar to a catherine wheel) or a pattern of straight lines going all the way across and crossing like a tartan pattern in the diagonal. Sometimes I use the scraps of pastry (from making the circles from the ready rolled rectangle) to make a crown which I seal on the top. I add a couple of small steam holes in the middle of the galette and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes. The pastry should be crisp and golden brown.
It is best served slightly warm but is also delicious cold if you don't eat it all in one sitting.
At the beginning of January, French boulangeries and patisseries are full of these galettes. They usually come with a shiny paper or card crown to be worn by whoever gets the fève. After Epiphany, they're all gone, none to be seen anywhere for the next twelve months.
Bon Appétit!
