Inspired by the liturgical epiphany and the NY Times recipe, I decided to make a galette des rois, or French king cake. In some parts of France, a party is thrown and a trinket (une fève in French) is hidden within the cake. The person who finds the trinket in their piece of cake is crowned king or queen for the party and must provide the galette for the next party. This dessert is a crowd pleaser; light, fluffy, and not overpoweringly sweet.
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
Filling:
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup almond flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum (Optional, but I used it.)
2 9 diameter circles of puff pastry dough
1 whole almond as trinket
Instructions:
1. For the filling, beat the butter and sugar together. Mix in the almond flour and salt. Beat in one whole egg and the white from the second egg. Reserve the yolk. Mix in the vanilla and rum (if using). Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Mix the yolk with 1 teaspoon of cold water, then cover and refrigerate until needed.
3. Place one circle of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a one inch border bare. Press the almond into the filling. Moisten the border with cold water and position the second circle of dough over the filling and press around the border with your finger tips to seal well. Using the back of a table knife scallop the edges by pushing into the dough (about ¼ to ½ inch deep) every ½ inch. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a thin layer of the reserved yolk glaze over the top of the galette and avoid the border. If the glaze drips down the rim, the galette won’t rise. With the point of a paring knife, etch a design into the top of the galette without piercing the dough. Cut 6 small slits in the top as a steam vent.
5. Lower the heat to 400, and bake for 30 minutes, until the galette is puffed and golden. Check after 20 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if it’s browning too fast. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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