January 19, 2010
Homemade Galette des Rois
If you've ever been in France during the month of January, surely you've noticed the blossoming of galettes des rois in the window of every bakery and pastry shop. A puff pastry pie garnished with a buttery almond filling, it is the traditional confection with which the Epiphany is celebrated*; I have written in more detail about this tradition in this post and later in this one, so I invite you to go and read them first. I'll wait right here.
La galette, and the fun ritual to determine who will be king or queen for the day (allow me to insist you read this post if you don't yet know about the fève thing), bring back many a happy childhood memory for me, and aside from the two years I spent in California, I have partaken of at least one galette a year for as long as I've had the requisite number of teeth.
But the big novelty this year, is that I finally made my own.
My deep attachment to this confection should have compelled me to do so years earlier, but the Epiphany is theoretically celebrated on January 6 -- though this is extended to the whole month of January nowadays -- and I always felt a bit too tuckered out after the holidays to tackle the project.
This year was different: we were celebrating my parents' 40th wedding anniversary on Saturday, my sister, brother-in-law and nephew were visiting from London for the occasion, and my mother had asked if I could bring the dessert for our celebratory lunch. It seemed the perfect opportunity to share a galette with my family, and I had just enough time to make it myself.
My initial intention was to make my own puff pastry, following Mercotte's instructions for feuilletage inversé (inverted puff pastry), a variation on the more common technique that consists -- in a nutshell -- in wrapping the butter around the dough instead of wrapping the dough around the butter, and is said to produce an exceptional texture.
But I couldn't find beurre de tourage in time -- the high-butterfat, low-humidity butter that Mercotte recommends -- so I decided to use store-bought puff pastry. Not just any store-bought puff pastry, mind you, but Madame François' puff pastry, which is produced in Sologne with butter from the Charentes, farine de gruau (fine wheat flour) and zero additives. I got it from G. Detou, where it is sold in slabs of 3 kilos, ready to be divided, shared and/or frozen; it can also be ordered on their website**.
The stuffing was going to be crème d'amande, not frangipane. There is a lot of confusion between the two, so here's the difference: crème d'amande (almond cream) is a simple mix of butter, sugar, ground almonds, and eggs, more or less in equal parts. Frangipane, on the other hand, is a blend of crème d'amande and crème pâtissière (pastry cream), which is made with eggs, milk, sugar, and flour or cornstarch.
Most galettes sold out there are filled with frangipane rather than crème d'amande -- the production cost of frangipane is a lot lower, since the almonds are the most expensive ingredient in there -- but my preference goes to crème d'amande, which makes a more delicate, less eggy, more flavorful filling.
As for the all-important fève (read here to know what that is), I had wisely saved the one Maxence got when we ate a galette des rois at my cousin's a week before: it is a little porcelain tower of some sort that seems like the tip might pierce the roof of your mouth if you're really out of luck, but this is France, and we haven't really gotten into the whole lawsuit thing so far, so that's the sort of thing we do***.
I consulted countless recipes, watched numerous videos, and merged all the things I'd learned into my own version, with a little hazelnut flour in the stuffing.
The making of the galette itself really wasn't difficult at all, at least for someone with a minimum of baking experience: you spread the puff pastry into two circles, spread crème d'amande on the first, cover it with the second, score, eggwash, and bake. The only slightly tricky steps are: 1- not forgetting to place the fève in the filling (a horrifying prospect), 2- placing the top circle precisely over the first, 3- sealing it properly so the filling won't escape, and 4- making sure the eggwash doesn't drip over the edges of the puff pastry, otherwise it might not rise to its full potential.
I did get some guidance from my personal galette hotline, i.e. my friend Pascale, whom I called to ask if she thought I could prepare everything a day in advance and bake the galette on the day of: her response was that I could freeze it overnight, and bake it straight from the freezer in the morning. She even mentioned that puff pastry rises higher if it's been frozen at some point.
It worked perfectly: I woke up, preheated the oven, slipped the frozen galette inside, and tried my best to occupy myself with other things -- watched puff pastry never rises -- until it was ready, golden brown, puffy, and gorgeous.
The bonus challenge I faced was transporting the galette to my parents' apartment -- on Maxence's scooter. I improvised a cake carrier out of two cereal boxes, inserted it in the compartment under the seat, and hoped for the best. Maxence was very careful to avoid bumps and ruts, and although we were practically run down by our squealing nephew upon arrival, the galette made it safely to my mother's kitchen, then to our table, where it was received with enthusiasm and wonderful compliments. My father even declared he'd never eaten such a flavorful galette des rois, and he'd said that about Pierre Hermé's before (I realize he would say that because he's my father, but still).
And as luck (and possibly karma) would have it, I got the fève, which means I can save it for next year, when I make another galette: now that I know how rewarding and fun it is to make my own, there's no turning back, I'm afraid.
Feeling up for the project yourself? You have until the end of January to do so -- at least that's when the French stop eating galettes (and stop wishing those they haven't yet seen or talked to a happy new year). And if it feels too tight, well, the recipe will be right here waiting for you next year!
* Except in the south of France, where the gâteau des rois -- a ring-shaped brioche studded with candied fruit -- takes its place.
** If that's not an option, just use the best quality puff pastry you can find and afford. Ideally, it will be made with just flour, butter, water, and salt (no other type of fat, and no preservatives or additives); in France, the one that is sold by Picard is said to be the best option in its range.
*** I've read that some French-style bakeries established in the US simply place a whole almond instead of a trinket in their galettes, to avoid any choking hazard.
Galette des Rois
- 500 grams (17 2/3 ounces) all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
For the crème d'amande:
- 125 grams (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 125 grams (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar (I used a blond unrefined cane sugar)
- 110 grams (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) almond meal (= finely ground almonds*)
- 20 grams (2 tablespoons) hazelnut flour or finely ground hazelnuts** (optional; you can also use all almond meal as in the classic galette)
- 8 grams (1 tablespoon) corn starch (in France, this is known under the brand name Maïzena)
- a good pinch sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 drop almond extract (optional)
- 1 tablespoon orange flower water or a liquor of your choice, such as Grand Marnier or rum
For the eggwash and glaze:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
Accessories:
- 1 porcelain trinket or dried bean
- 2 paper crowns
Serves 6 to 8.
1. Prepare the crème d'amande.
Beat the butter until creamy, but avoid incorporating air into it. In a bowl, combine the sugar, almonds, hazelnuts, corn starch, and salt. Stir with a whisk to remove any lump. Add to the creamed butter and mix until smooth. Add the almond extract and orange flower water, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
2. Roll out the puff pastry.
Divide the puff pastry in 2 equal pieces, and roll each one out to form a rough circle a little larger than 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter. Use a sharp knife and an upturned plate of the right dimension to cut a neat 30-cm (12-inch) circle out of one, and a slightly larger one with the other, adding, say, 6 mm (1/4 inch) all around the edge of the plate.
3. Assemble the galette.
Place the smaller of the two circles on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with a tablespoon water (or milk, if you have it handy) until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush the outer rim of the dough lightly with the eggwash by a width of about 2.5 cm (1 inch). Make sure not to wet the actual edge of the dough, or it will impede its rise.
Pour the crème d'amande in the center and spread it out inside the eggwash ring with a spatula.
Place a porcelain fève, a dried bean, or the trinket of your choice in the crème d'amande -- not in the center but closer to an edge, or your knife will keep running into it when you divide the galette. And if it is an elongated shape, make sure to orient it straight toward the center of the galette, again, to minimize the possibility of you hitting it with your knife (as you see in the picture below, mine was not, and sure enough, I cut right into the top of the little tower). Press it down gently to bury it.
Transfer the second round of dough precisely on top of the first, smooth it out gently over the crème d'amande to remove any air pocket, and press it down all around the sides to seal.
4. Score the galette.
Using the back of the tip of your knife (i.e. the dull side), draw a decorative pattern on top of the galette: a diamond-shaped grid, optionally with double or triple lines, a flower pattern... see examples here, here, here and here.
I chose to make a sun pattern as demonstrated in this video: you start from the center and draw an arc to reach the edge of the galette in a single, smooth gesture, exercising just enough pressure to score the dough without piercing it. You then turn the galette ever so slightly, draw a similar arc nested in the first one, and repeat until the entire galette is scored.
Holding your knife upright, blade down, and using the dull side of the blade, push the dough inward where each sun ray ends, to create a festooned pattern.
Brush the top of the galette lightly with the eggwash: again, make sure it doesn't drip over the edges, or the eggwash will seal the layers of the puff pastry in this spot and it won't develop as well. Let it rest a minute then brush it lightly again with the eggwash. (As you can see on the picture below, my eggwash pooled a bit around the bulge of the crème d'amande, which resulted in a darker coloring around the sides; I didn't mind, but I'll be more careful next time.)
Using the tip of your knife, pierce 5 holes in the top dough -- one in the center, and four around the sides, piercing through the pattern you've drawn -- to ensure an even rise.
Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or a tart pan with a removable bottom, and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can place the galette in the freezer at this point, on the baking sheet or pan, and bake it the next day. Although I haven't tried it, I'm sure you could prepare it up to a week or so in advance: once the galette is thoroughly frozen, transfer it to a tightly sealed bag to avoid freezer burn.)
5. Bake the galette.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F); if the galette was in the freezer, take it out while the oven preheats. Insert the galette in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes (35 if it was frozen), until puffy and golden brown.
In the final minutes of baking, combine the tablespoon of confectioner's sugar with a tablespoon very hot water (heated until boiling in the kettle or the microwave). When the galette is done, remove it from the oven, brush it across the top with the sryup, and return it to the oven for a minute; this will give it a shiny finish.
Place on a rack to cool completely (it will settle as it cools) and serve at room temperature. (Some people prefer it slightly warm, so they reheat it slightly in a warm oven before serving.) The traditional pairing is with Champagne or hard cider.
Have one of the guests (usually the youngest) hide under the table if he's willing, or at least cover his eyes or turn his back to the table. Cut the galette into servings and, for each serving, have the guest decide who should have it. If your guests are unfamiliar with the tradition, make sure you warn everyone that a fève may be hiding in their slice. Whoever finds it is king/queen for the day, receives a paper crown, and gets to pick his/her queen/king (or king/queen for that matter) by giving her/him the second paper crown.
* I normally mention that you can also grind your own almonds, but here it is worth seeking out almond meal (you'll find it at natural food stores and Middle-Eastern markets): it is a lot more finely ground than what you could achieve at home, and this will make the crème d'amande incomparably smooth.
** Read more about the hazelnut flour I used. Alternatively, you can grind the hazelnuts yourself if you prefer: place 20 grams (3 tablespoons) shelled hazelnuts in a blender with 2 tablespoons of the sugar used in the crème d'amande, and pulse until finely ground.
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Comments (71)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Cakes & Desserts - Recipe Inside!
Galette via scooter - you are a brave, brave woman! I'm certain that I won't find that puff pastry in a store near me, but that is not going to stop me from trying this beautiful galette.
Posted by Cookin' Canuck on January 20, 2010 12:18 AMYours came out so much prettier than mine did! I lived in France last year, and now that I'm back in the States, I wanted to try to re-create a galette. I made an almond galette, and the filling leaked all over the place. From the photo, your filing looks thicker than mine. I'll have to try your recipe next!
Posted by Kathryn on January 20, 2010 1:34 AMThis is beautiful! I enjoyed this treat about 5 years ago when I lived in Paris for a month in January. Brings back sweet memories :)
Posted by Christine on January 20, 2010 1:57 AMClotilde this galette look amazing and delicious! gloria
Posted by Gloria on January 20, 2010 2:10 AMI'm impressed! I had a French coworker for a couple years, and I loved when she baked these for the office. So delicious!
Posted by arugulove on January 20, 2010 2:38 AMLooks delightful. Unfortunately, the only time I ever had such a cake was before I knew how special it was....
Now, how about a kouign amann cake? Any tips? Can I use puff pastry for that as well?
Posted by soozzie on January 20, 2010 2:53 AMThis looks so much better than the King's Cake they sell at Publix around this time of the year. I would love to try it. It looks delicious!
Nisrine
Posted by Dinners & Dreams on January 20, 2010 2:55 AMThank you for this recipe and bit of history. I've never celebrated Ephiphony. It's not a big holiday in the US, but I've always wanted to celebrate and didn't know how. Now I do. Thank goodness January 6 has passed. It's going to take me a year of practicing this recipe to perfect it. Does not look easy at all, but worth the try.
Thanks again!
Susan
Posted by Susan at Charm of the Carolines on January 20, 2010 3:19 AMsalut! what a great post. i tried my own galette this year, and blogged about it. i also was forced to buy puff pastry. but yours sounds much more fancy.
that is hilarious about the US bakeries. jeez. i guess those are the same people who think lait cru will kill you.
a plus!
Posted by The Paris Food Blague on January 20, 2010 3:24 AM-The Paris Food Blague
Oh yes, since we can not find Galette des Rois in the US, my husband makes at least one every year (pastry dough AND filling)! My children love it and, somehow, always get the feve!!He has frozen a few more this year so that we could have more... Can't wait!!
Posted by Gaelle@whatareyoufeedingyourkidsthesedays.com on January 20, 2010 3:37 AMCongratulations Clotilde! Your first Galette de Rois :-) Thanks so much for the photos ~ beautiful, step by step..
Every so often a friend in Orange sends me feves and the paper crowns. The feves remind me of the threepences and sixpences that would be included in the plum pudding mixture. No crowns with that British tradition.
40th wedding anniversary..how lovely!
Posted by Joan on January 20, 2010 4:04 AMI have been wanting to attempt this every year for a while, and next year, thanks to you, I will have no excuse! Thanks for posting this.
Posted by Maureen in Oakland on January 20, 2010 5:18 AMAfter your simple roasted potatoes you followed up with this fascinating recipe, which I read like the true observer that I am, never intending to attempt it. Thanks for the chances to cook vicariously through you, always a joy.
Posted by Janet on January 20, 2010 5:31 AMBeautiful! Galettes des rois is available in Tokyo too, and many fancy kicking off the new year with it :)
Posted by the lacquer spoon on January 20, 2010 6:39 AMIn Spain Epiphany Day is the Xmas gift-exchanging Day. It's typical to breakfast with hot thick chocolate and a portion of "roscón de reyes" that, for what you've explained, it's very similar to the Gâteau des Rois eaten in Southern France.
Posted by maria jose on January 20, 2010 9:49 AMIn Asturias (Northern Spain) they have something similar to your Galette for Epiphany Day, and in Catalonia eat a mixture between Galette and Gâteau des Rois: a ring shaped brioche filled with marzipan.
well done clotilde! it looks super professionnal and absolutely delicious!!
Posted by est on January 20, 2010 11:04 AMYay, Clothilde! I too, made the jump and prepared my own galette de roi. What a difference! And you are right, really it was not that difficult - more prep/step basis.
Alas, I FORGOT TO ADD THE FEVE! doink...whatever, the galette was realy good. Now, I am excited about giving your recipe a try! I have a few more days to do so!
heidi
Posted by this.is.heidi on January 20, 2010 11:21 AMDeliciously lively post, for a certainly "excellentissime" galette, and I love the idea of a "personal galette hotline"!
Posted by Flo Makanai on January 20, 2010 3:19 PMYour photos are all wonderful, everything looks so scrumptious!
Posted by UK Foodie on January 20, 2010 3:22 PMThis definitely brings me memories of my years living in Paris - the technician in our lab used to bring a galette des Rois to share with us when everybody was back from Christmas break.
it was fun to try and guess who would get the trinket
Yours looks like a work of art, amazing job!
Posted by SallyBR on January 20, 2010 4:41 PMYour galette is gorgeous! I will be trying this one out--such a yummy tradition! I will attempt the puff pastry...never have been good about the store bought stuff--but your suggestions of how to pick a good-quality paste is helpful. Thanks!
Posted by Enchanted Fig on January 20, 2010 5:18 PMIn Louisiana people eat King Cake for Mardi Gras....it is a very different cake from Galette...
Posted by Andree on January 20, 2010 5:54 PMso excited to try this! i had my first bite of a galette des roi this weekend and i have been thinking about it ever since. a friend who happens to be a pastry chef PURCHASED it from a french bakery in toronto that is so good that it's the only place he buys things from. so i trust i had a good enough representation. it was enough to make me obsessed with it!
Posted by yasmin on January 20, 2010 9:01 PMClotilde, it's just beautiful. Your sunburst pattern is even better than Laduree's! Wonderful step-by-step photos.
Posted by Dawn (KitchenTravels) on January 20, 2010 10:08 PMIn all the times I've eaten galette des rois, I've never gotten the feve. Clearly the solution is to make the galette oneself! ;) Yours is the most beautiful I've ever seen, and I look forward to trying it myself.
Posted by Rachel on January 20, 2010 10:34 PMIt's gorgious and I really love the pattern and of course the story with the travelling.
Posted by pascale on January 20, 2010 10:50 PMyou should be given an award for transporting this beautiful galette des rois on a scooter!!
Posted by my spatula on January 20, 2010 11:36 PMIt looks so beautiful I want to try it now! Thank you for the photos.
Posted by heypesto on January 21, 2010 12:11 AMChapeau!
Posted by Martine on January 21, 2010 12:12 AMBeautiful! Love the story and the scoring; a work art. I've kept away from baking but this has inspired me. I must try!
Posted by prodigalchef on January 21, 2010 1:16 AMAbsolutely stunning! I especially appreciate the photos of how to style the puff pastry--such an elaborate looking design is actually quite simple!
Posted by Fuji Mama on January 21, 2010 1:24 AMOh my. I can't believe how pretty it turned out... the finished galette looks even more beautiful than the unbaked one you previewed on Twitter.
Posted by Isabelle on January 21, 2010 3:00 AMAnd how brave are you to transport it by scooter after all your hard work? I'm in awe. :)
I love every thing made by buff pastry
Posted by Kurdistan on January 21, 2010 3:28 AMBravo on getting the galette safely to its destination by scooter! I've disfigured so many cakes and tarts taking them to parties by Metro, motorbike and even car that I tend to stick to cookies these days.
Posted by Aspiring Vegan on January 21, 2010 3:07 PMOh this is perfect. Thank you so very much for posting every little detail along with photos of the progress. January's not over yet. Perhaps I'll give it a go next week. Ohhh I miss Paris!
Posted by Shannon on January 21, 2010 3:46 PMIts looking very pretty. Recipe looks very easy to prepare. I am going to try out soon. very mouth watering dish
Posted by Mark on January 21, 2010 4:21 PMThe gateau des rois sounds much like the New Orleans king cake, thanks for that info. I had always wondered, knowing about this galette which seemed so different from it.
Galettes like yours are available at least one, if not two or three of the french bakeries in town.
Most of the time, we still have a plastic baby inside of our king cakes, rarely a porcelain charm, but not in the ones shipped to out of towners.
Posted by candice on January 21, 2010 4:45 PMWhat a beautiful job you did on your galette! And got rewarded by getting the little baby.
Posted by Barbara on January 21, 2010 6:48 PMThe Mardi Gras King Cake is quite different, but with the same thought behind it. The galette is elegant, the King Cake is gaudy. both are fun to eat!
My family always celebrates Epiphany but our local bakery stopped putting in the feve (probably because they were sued!) so this year my sister made our galette using a very similar recipe. Divine!
Posted by Pippa on January 21, 2010 7:08 PMI was raised in Florida, but was raised in a French family and I LOVE your blog!
Posted by Alex on January 21, 2010 8:22 PMSo funny...I wanted to make my own gallet this year too, but when I came to your blog the week of the 6th of January I was surprised that you didn't have the recipe on here..but here it is!
I ended up making both kinds..with the frangipane and la crème d'amande, and have to admit I liked la creme d'amande version better (Eventhough I ended up just grinding the almonds myself, the creme was a little chunky).
I also purchased my puff pastry but next time I'm going to try to make it too!
Thanks for the lovely pictures!!
Ah if only you had posted this 3 days earlier!!! Your galette is sooo pretty and exactly fits the filling/crust ratio I like. I tried my hand at a galette on Monday after scouring the web for recipes (your site was the first I checked only to find, to my dismay, a review of a Pierre Herme galette instead of a recipe) and took it to work. It wasn't a very pretty sight but it tasted good. I did feel, though, as I was making it that the filling was too runny and eggy. But your recipe solves my problem: 2 eggs only and some added cornstarch perfect!
Posted by Aisha on January 21, 2010 10:35 PMI did make it with homemade pate feuilletee that I made the same day (classic method... I have to try inverted now) so I was still quite happy with the result considering it was my very first try. Your tips about not letting the egg wash pool make complete sense to me as I watched my top layer rise beautifully then got disappointed at the rise of the edges and bottom.
I'll have to find new victims to test my galette-making skills on!
Gah! I blabbered so much in my previous post that I forgot to ask the all-important question. How thick should the layers of pate feuilletee be? Since I made my own instead of using store-bought, I did not know the thickness of ready-made versions and couldn't find recipes that indicated how thick they should be. Thanks for your help!
Posted by Aisha on January 21, 2010 10:39 PMI've just returned from a 6 week exchange program in Paris, during which I ate so many galettes, it was insane...I saw a lot of Avatar-themed fèves around. My second favourite galette was a homemade one, and my favourite was a deliciously very almondy storebought version. I did however also eat one or two that were extremely greasy, dripping butter all over my hands, and sickening to eat. I need to find an occasion to make this now...I think I have a few parties around the corner that want me to bring dessert...
Posted by Vidya on January 22, 2010 1:29 AMHi! I live in Luxembourg (as an American expat) where galette des rois are sold in both apple and frangipane varieties. Is apple traditional too? I've also wondered where to buy feves. I've seen oodles of them on ebay, but surely they must be available in a baking shop. Any ideas.
Posted by katy on January 22, 2010 8:13 AMQuelle aventure! Jamais fait de galette mais je meurs d'envie d'essayer! Par contre, je préfèrerais la faire pour le jour même de l'épiphanie donc j'attendrai l'année prochaine...
Posted by kitchenette on January 22, 2010 8:35 AMJe ne sais pas s'ils le font toujours (j'ai déménagé et n'y fais plus mes courses), mais certains hypermarchés Carrefour vendaient des gros blocs de pâte feuilletée maison au rayon pâtisserie fraîche. Sans conservateurs, sans additifs. Délicieuse.
Posted by Elisabeth on January 22, 2010 2:15 PMI'm about to follow your recipe... Can guarantee it won't come out as well as yours tho. Why is it the French let their celebrations drift on? The galettes des rois, as you say, can be found throughout Jan. Similarly, I was in France at the end of last week and most places still has their Christmas decorations up.
Posted by andrew on January 22, 2010 4:26 PMi love the idea of having this pastry at your fingertips!
yum :)
Posted by Naimah on January 22, 2010 5:02 PMNaimah
All - Thank you very much for your comments and compliments, I'm so glad you find the post inspiring and helpful!
Aisha - I would say the dough should work out to be about 2 mm in thickness.
Katy - I've only recently heard about apple galettes, so I'm not exactly sure about the regional factor on this one, but they sound really good, too.
As for the fèves, I know you can buy them in bags of ten at Mora, a professional baking equipment store in Paris (type "feve" in the search box). Other than that, eBay's a good idea, or you can just choose a little porcelain trinket you might already own.
Posted by clotilde on January 22, 2010 7:29 PMElle est très chic ta galette, un vrai bijou!
Posted by sooishi on January 22, 2010 10:20 PMMy French friend Annie had her brother visiting from Alsace this Jan. and made a Gallete des Rois for their family gathering. I now have the recipe to share with my family. It sounds delicious! This is my first time on your site, it's fabulous.
Thank you,
Posted by Shirli on January 23, 2010 12:30 AMShirli
I learned several somethings new today...with lovely pictures too! Thanks!
Posted by Sherry on January 23, 2010 1:31 AMThis is absolutely beautiful. I loved the way that you scored the pastry. Perfect! How did you get it to your parent's home on your bike? Thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by The Teacher Cooks on January 24, 2010 1:17 AMSalut Clotilde,
Posted by Leonard Burtscher on January 24, 2010 10:58 AMI saw your link on Kelly's new blog and am amazed about how affectionate and lovely your blog is!
All the best,
Leonard
I've recently started to write your blog. Love your design, photos and of course the recipes. What blogsytem do you use? Have a lovely Sunday!
Posted by Deborah on January 24, 2010 1:47 PMIt was one of my favorite traditions when I lived in France. This cake looks like a real labor of love, but it is worth the effort.
Posted by Georgia.Pellegrini on January 24, 2010 5:00 PMDear Clotilde,
Congratulations on this beautiful galette. I wish I could say my try at following your recipe produced comparable results. It did not, and as a result I don't expect this comment to ever appear on the blog (this is from past experiences with your recipes).
Posted by Gwen on January 24, 2010 11:22 PMWhat initially attracted me to your blog was the air of utter ease and spontaneity your posts had to them: it looked simple. Well, it's not. There is a reason by bakers, confectioners and chefs actually take this activity to professional levels: because that's what it takes to get decent results. Making a decent galette is not for the lay cook, even if that lay cook is perfectly able to prepare good daily meals.
The crème d'amande worked beautifully and tastes fabulous. The puff pastry on the other hand, was a mess. I did use ready made puff pastry (Dufour Pastry Kitchens, for all of you in the US who don't have a boulangerie on your block). And then I "rolled out the puff pastry".
Is puff pastry supposed to shrink back every time you lift your rolling pin ? I don't know. After many tries and my puff pastry starting to show signs of tear I just had to cut the largest circle I could and accept that it shrunk back to about the size of a dessert plate.
The same thing of course happenned when I tried to seal the 2 discs of dough together: the top one kept shrinking until eventually the discs separated.
Maybe you've never had such an experience with pastry dough. But I do believe that step would have required a few more words of explanation.
As for the 54 comments before me, I'd be curious to know how many have/will try to do this recipe and of those, how many will succeed. Just for my own peace of mind ;o)
Gwen - I'm sorry your puff pastry proved difficult to work with. I've never had shrinkage problems myself, but I've never worked with the one you mention, so it's hard to determine what went wrong exactly.
What I do know is that if you find that the dough you're working with tends to spring back -- and this is true of any dough: puff pastry, short crust pastry, pizza dough, bread dough... -- you can let it rest for a few moments on the work surface before you start handling it again. This allows the gluten strands to relax and make the dough more cooperative.
Posted by clotilde on January 25, 2010 10:06 AMI'm quite new to your blog and I wanted to let you know how inspiring I find it.
Congratulations on such a successful first try at a galettes des rois.
You do make it look so temptingly easy. One January (definitely not this one) I hope to give it a try but only once I'm better acquainted with puff pastry! Well done!
Posted by Val on January 25, 2010 2:48 PMI know you said that it is worth seeking out almond meal but we have so many almonds in Puglia that I'm going to try to make my own. Wish me luck. Many of rainy days coming up calling for lots of baking.
Posted by Pia on January 25, 2010 6:46 PMHi Clotilde,
Posted by Gwen on January 25, 2010 7:54 PMThanks for your answer and tip, I'll try if I am ever confronted to this problem again. And thanks for proving me wrong also ;o)
Those look simply scrumptious! Thanks for sharing a lovely, detailed recipe.
Posted by lbyfvj on January 26, 2010 9:56 AMAh, this brought back so many memories. When I lived in France, my adoptive "father", a pastry chef by trade, had a habit of including several feves - a king, a queen, various courtiers etc - in fact, one for each child present, thereby pre-empting the bickering that usually followed if there was only one! I still have the ones I "won". I can just imagine yours tasting just like his - so much better than the bought variety, even in France.
Posted by Zoe on January 26, 2010 5:02 PMI am new to pastries (as you soon will find out), but I was so excited to start this recipe. I spent the afternoon going to a specialty store to get the puff pastry and the almond meal and then set to work with my laptop in front of me. At the beginning, things went pretty well, and although my pastry was way uglier than yours, I was still hopeful. But, to my complete horror, as soon as the pastry got warm in the oven, ALL of the wonderful buttery/hazelnutty/almondy filling seeped out of the sides and onto the bottom of the oven, where it promptly burned. I tried to spoon as much of the filling onto the top of the pastry as I could and let it continue cooking. I was surprised to find that it didn't taste too bad, although completely disfigured. This could be the start of a very ugly pastry career.
Posted by Eleanor on January 26, 2010 7:15 PMPia - Having access to local almonds is the one exception to the rule. :)
Eleanor - I haven't had a problem with the filling escaping myself, but from what I've read, it is a typical pitfall that can be prevented by two things: 1- sealing the two circles well with the egg wash (as described in step 3 above) and 2- refrigerating the galette before baking (as described in step 4 above). Could it be that you missed one or the other of those steps? If it makes you feel any better, an experienced galette baker recently told me that her latest leaked big time...
Posted by clotilde on January 27, 2010 10:19 AMSuccess! I even managed my own feuilletage inversé using Organic Valley European style cultured butter. Worked splendidly, and the test bit that I baked turned out gorgeously in flavor and texture.
I have always enjoyed your recipes and my co-workers have been as well!
Posted by Jennifer on January 30, 2010 6:05 AMSuperbe galette ! Elle brille bien et a une jolie couleur
Posted by Griottes on February 1, 2010 9:58 AMHi Clotilde, thanks for the carefully detailed post. I read Eleanor's post before launching into my own effort, and I must confess, alas, that I did not take its warning seriously enough and suffered a similar fate. I did both 1) and 2), but I resettled the upper crust a couple of times in trying to get the air bubbles out. I think this had a negative impact on the quality of the seal. I do not have a tart pan, so that I tried to bake my galette on parchment paper on a cookie sheet -- in my case the drippings caught fire upon contact with the oven's heating element. Oh, my! I did manage to recover and bake my galette to completion, and to my amazement it turned out fairly well despite its rather poor start. However, perhaps the use of a pan with a lip ought be strongly recommended? Thanks for sharing the recipe; I will be glad to try it again next year!
p.s. The story was the hit of my party (on Jan. 31) even if sadly the galette was not! (I wisely decided to share just the story.)
Posted by Susan on February 2, 2010 1:59 AMSusan - Thanks a lot for reporting back; I'm sorry you had a problem with the filling leaking.
In your case, as you suggested, readjusting the top circle of dough may have been the cause (to remove air pockets, the recipe suggests you smooth out the top circle, not move it, and press to seal only after it's in place).
Another explanation comes to mind: what size eggs did you use in your crème d'amande? The eggs used in French baking are equivalent to the US size "large" (I've updated the recipe to reflect that -- it's rare that it matters significantly, so I don't usually indicate the size). If you were to use larger eggs (extra large or jumbo), the crème d'amande might be too liquid and therefore more likely to leak.
Finally, regarding the baking vessel, thanks for the suggestion: I've updated the recipe to call for a rimmed baking sheet.
Posted by clotilde on February 2, 2010 9:46 AMHi Clotilde, mea culpa -- I know that you didn't suggest resettling the top! And you are spot on: I did indeed use "extra large" eggs! Thanks for the insights!
Posted by Susan on February 2, 2010 5:00 PMHi Clotilde,
This was a delightful post. I esp. loved the part about transporting the galette via scooter! These things do happen don't they?
I thought you might be interested to know that the Galette de Rois is served throughout Louisiana during the Carnival season. The favor there is a plastic baby (I believe it used to be porcelain decades ago but times being what they are...) Anyway, if you live away and order a said "kingcake" through the mail, the said "baby" comes seperately for your own insertion. That's their way around the lawsuit concerns.
Thanks for your wonderful blog.
Posted by Jennifer on February 14, 2010 6:02 PM