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How to make your own Galette des Rois

The Local France
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How to make your own Galette des Rois
Photo: AFP

French families will mark the end of the festive season on Sunday by scoffing down a Galette des Rois. Here are two recipes so you can try your hand at making your very own at home.

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The French will celebrate Epiphany this Sunday (January 6th) by eating a pastry fit for kings.

So, why not join them? Here are two recipes so that you can make your very own Galette des Rois. 

To start off, here’s a basic recipe thanks to the site Anglophone Direct. Good luck and bon appétit!

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Galette des Rois

(Photo: EL Padawan/Flickr)

INGREDIENTS

2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry 
140g ground almond 
75g soft butter 
80g sugar 
3 egg whites
1 yolk

Mix the butter and the sugar until the mix whitens, then add the beaten eggs and the ground almond. Mix well.

In the middle of the first sheet of puff pastry, pour the mix. Lay the second sheet on top, and roll the sides of the sheets together towards the inside to seal the galette. 

With a knife, draw diagonal lines in both direction (so that they cross each other) to create the pattern.

Then with a brush, spread the yolk on the whole cake to give it a golden colour. 

Put in an oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees Serve hot - but it is excellent cold too.

 

But if you're feeling more adventurous, here's a recipe for a chocolate and almond version courtesy of Florence Richomme who runs the MyParisianKitchen website

RECIPE
 
Preparation time: 20 min
Baking time: 30 min
Quantity: 8 shares
Specific equipment: eventually piping bag and pastry brush (but you can do without)
 
INGREDIENTS
 
Chocolate almond cream
 
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter at room temperature
45g cocoa powder (sugar free)
100g almond flour
 
Pastry cream
 
2 egg yolks
250 ml milk
25g flour (may be replaced by cornflour)
50g sugar
 
For assembling
 
1 egg beaten to glaze
1 lucky charm and 1 crown
2 rolls puff pastry
 
 
Photo: MyParisianKitchen
 
MAIN STEPS
 
Prepare pastry cream and almond cream. Mix them together to get a frangipane cream. Assemble the two pastry puff discs with the frangipane filling carefully following the instructions.
 
DIRECTIONS
 
Preheat oven to 180°C (375°F).
 
Start with the preparing the pastry cream. 
 
Bring the milk to the boil. At the first broth, remove from the heat. Blanch egg yolks with sugar. Add flour and stir. Pour in the hot milk into the egg-sugar-flour mixture constantly whisking. Pour back into the saucepan and heat rapidly while whisking energetically.
 
Once it thickens, continue to whisk, for about 1 minute from the time it starts to boil. When the pastry cream is ready, remove it from the heat and pour it in a bowl so that it will stop cooking.
 
Cover with clingfilm, with the film touching the surface of the cream so that the cream will stay evenly, without an harder part on the top. Let it cool.
 
Then prepare the almond cream
 
Mix together butter and sugar using a spatula until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix. Then add the almond flour and cocoa powder and fold until they are well mixed. 
 
Make the frangipane. Fold the pastry cream and the almond cream together, here flavored with chocolate.
 
Then assemble the cake
 
Place a first disc of puff pastry on a baking tray covered with a sheet of parchment paper.
 
Using a piping bag (or a spatula) cover the puff pastry with a thick layer of frangipane making sure to leave a margin on the outside (about 2 to 3 centimeter - 1 inch).
 
Don’t forget to place the lucky charm somewhere in the frangipane filling.
 
Glaze with water or a beaten egg using a pastry brush (or your fingers).
 
Cover with the second disc of puff pastry, then press all around so that the two pastries are well sealed.
 
Using the back of a knife, pinch the edges of the two pastry discs, making a small incision every 1 centimeter, all around. This is to make sure the filling doesn’t run while baking.
 
Glaze with beaten egg and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
 
Then you can decorate! You can make strips, rounds, flowers… the top of the cake still with the back of a knife or with a fork. Glaze once more. 
 
If needed, refrigerate. It's important that the cake is not too warm when placed in the oven to get nice layers of puff pastry.
 
Bake at 180°C (375°F) for 30 minutes.
 
The cake is usually served warm or at least at room temperature.
 

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