Galette des Rois

I love tradition, even if it isn't my tradition.

It seems every year I make Pasta con Sarde (pasta w/ sardines and fennel) for St. Joseph's Day (I'm an honorary Italian).

Every year I make fish on Christmas Eve (I'm not Sicilian).

I make latkes for Hanukkah and a Guinness Stew w/ Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day.

January 6 is Epiphany Day, or 3 Kings Day.

Since my neighbor is French, I make her a king's cake, or Galette des Rois every year. It's her favorite. And mine.

What's not to love?
Puff pastry filled with frangipane, a dense almond paste custard filling that melts in your mouth.

Oui, s'il vous plait.

This year I followed David Lebovitz's simple recipe and it was delicious.

I usually bake this tart more rustic, just on a silpat or a paper lined baking sheet, however, I learn from my mistakes.
I always get some leakage, so this year I wised up and baked the galette in a 9" fluted tart pan with removable bottom.

Voila! No spillage, and perfect formed shape.

You're welcome.

French tradition says you hide a fève (dried bean), or a ceramic trinket inside, just waiting for a lawsuit, cause you know someone is going to break their teeth on the prize..............so instead, I hide a whole almond in the filling.

Galette des Rois (King's Cake):

1 cup (100g) almond flour (I used almond meal)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
pinch salt
zest of an orange
3 1/2 ounces (100g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoon rum
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 pound (2 sheets) of frozen puff pastry, defrosted
a whole almond or piece of candied fruit to be the fève

Glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon milk

Preheat oven to 375F.

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 or the edge of a tart pan, plate, or bottom of springform pan as a template, trim the dough into neat circle.

Place the dough on the baking sheet or in a fluted tart pan, as I suggested, and place in the fridge while you are trimming the other piece of pastry. You want puff pastry to be nice and COLD when working with it.

Roll the other piece of dough into a circle, and trim it. This will be the top of your galette.

Remove the dough and almond filling from the refrigerator. Place one piece of the pastry on a paper lined baking sheet, or in a tart pan. Using a rubber spatula, pour the filling into the dough.

Cover the second piece of puff pastry on top and pinch together all sides with your fingers to form a tight seal.

Decorate with a paring knife making a nice feathery design and cut 5 small slits for air holes.

Brush with the egg yolk and milk mixture to make a glaze.

Bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

Let rest in the tart pan (if using....makes life so much easier), for 10 minutes then run a cake knife around the tart pan to loosen and lift out from the bottom using a can to steady the tart pan.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Delicious and beautiful.

This is a wonderful tradition and who knows, maybe I will even start tie-dying eggs for Easter.