Galette des Rois
When I lived in France, I lived opposite not one but two patisseries. In the bakery windows after Christmas, yule logs were swiftly replaced by galettes des rois (king cakes) to celebrate Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi to Jesus, 12 days after his birth. As we celebrate Jesus' birth on 25 December, that means that 6th January is Epiphany (if it doesn't fall on a Sunday, Christians celebrate it on the first Sunday of January). Bakeries usually sell these cakes for the whole month, and they come with a golden cardboard crown. If you find a fève (charm) in your portion then you get to wear the crown and be the king (le roi) or queen (la reine) for the day.
It's this tradition that inspired my take on the galette: the puff pastry crowns combine the flavours of the galette with the ceremony that accompanies it. They make an eye-catching display and, being smaller and easier to serve, are ideal for festive buffets or parties.
This recipe makes at least 5 crown-shaped galettes and one 22cm round galette, or at least 10 crowns (based on a diameter of approx. 10cm). The crowns use less filling than the galette, so you’re likely to have a fair amount of filling left over if you only make the crowns. Rather than make less filling (which is too fiddly), fill the pastry off-cuts with leftover filling.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
For the crème pâtissière:
For the frangipane:
For the topping:
Equipment
Method
1. To make the crème pâtissière, whisk the egg yolk and caster sugar together in a bowl. Add the cornflour.
When I lived in France, I lived opposite not one but two patisseries. In the bakery windows after Christmas, yule logs were swiftly replaced by galettes des rois (king cakes) to celebrate Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi to Jesus, 12 days after his birth. As we celebrate Jesus' birth on 25 December, that means that 6th January is Epiphany (if it doesn't fall on a Sunday, Christians celebrate it on the first Sunday of January). Bakeries usually sell these cakes for the whole month, and they come with a golden cardboard crown. If you find a fève (charm) in your portion then you get to wear the crown and be the king (le roi) or queen (la reine) for the day.
It's this tradition that inspired my take on the galette: the puff pastry crowns combine the flavours of the galette with the ceremony that accompanies it. They make an eye-catching display and, being smaller and easier to serve, are ideal for festive buffets or parties.
This recipe makes at least 5 crown-shaped galettes and one 22cm round galette, or at least 10 crowns (based on a diameter of approx. 10cm). The crowns use less filling than the galette, so you’re likely to have a fair amount of filling left over if you only make the crowns. Rather than make less filling (which is too fiddly), fill the pastry off-cuts with leftover filling.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 2 x 375g puff pastry sheets
For the crème pâtissière:
- 1 egg yolk
- 15g caster sugar
- 10g cornflour
- 130ml milk
For the frangipane:
- 80g icing sugar
- 90g soft butter
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 5g cornflour
- 110g ground almonds
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp rum
For the topping:
- 2 egg yolks (for brushing the top of the raw pastry)
- 30g caster sugar and 30ml water for the syrup glaze
- Edible gold leaf (optional)
Equipment
- At least two baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper
- Cocktail stick
- Small brush
- Pastry brush
- Crown template/cutter
Method
1. To make the crème pâtissière, whisk the egg yolk and caster sugar together in a bowl. Add the cornflour.
2. Bring the milk gradually to the boil. As soon as it’s boiled, remove it from the heat and pour it over the egg mix very gradually, whisking as you pour. As soon as all the milk has been incorporated, put this mixture into the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes until it comes to the boil, whisking steadily. It should thicken quickly. Remove it from the heat and immediately transfer it to a bowl. Lay a piece of clingfilm directly over the crème (so that the clingfilm is in full contact with the crème). Leave to cool in the fridge.
3. To make the frangipane, whisk the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and whisk briefly again to incorporate. Add the cornflour, ground almonds, egg and rum, and whisk together again. Add the crème pâtissière and mix together.
4. For the crowns, print out a template of a crown shape that you like (it’s best to opt for a simple shape – I chose one with just three points). My crowns were 10cm in diameter each (any smaller and you won’t be able to get much filling in to them). Cut out the template, place it on the pastry sheet and cut out the shape using a sharp knife, aiming to avoid too much pastry wastage. For the round galette, place a 22cm cake tin or bowl on the pastry sheet and score a sharp knife round the circumference, and then repeat so that you have two circular pieces of pastry. Place half of the shapes on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper (the other shapes will become the ‘lids’). Space them at least 5cm apart from each other.
5. Regardless of the pastry shape, place the filling carefully into the middle. For the crowns, place most filling in the ‘band’ area of the crown (where the filling can be about 1cm deep) and only a little into the bottom part of the ‘spike’ areas. Leave a 1cm gap around each edge. Don’t overfill otherwise it will seep out during baking and spoil the puff pastry lines. For the round galette, you can afford to be a lot more generous with the filling – aim for about 2cm depth, but this time leave a 1.5cm gap around each edge.
(For a different take on the galette, try brushing the pastry with a small amount of jam before topping with the filling. Quince jam goes really well with the frangipane flavours).
(For a different take on the galette, try brushing the pastry with a small amount of jam before topping with the filling. Quince jam goes really well with the frangipane flavours).
6. Using a small brush and a small amount of water, dampen the gap that you left around the circumference of each shape. Do not let the water drip down the sides (otherwise this will spoil the puff pastry lines).
7. Place the corresponding ‘lid’ on the top of each shape, gently pressing the pastry pieces together to seal them (don’t use much force).
8. Brush the tops with the egg yolk (don’t let the egg drip down the sides, otherwise this will spoil the puff pastry lines) and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove and brush the tops again with egg yolk and use a cocktail stick to make a small hole in the middle of each shape (for the steam to escape). At this point, you can decorate the crowns and galette: using a sharp knife, trace any pattern you wish over the top (careful not to cut too deep). Return to the fridge for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan), 220 °C (non fan).
7. Place the corresponding ‘lid’ on the top of each shape, gently pressing the pastry pieces together to seal them (don’t use much force).
8. Brush the tops with the egg yolk (don’t let the egg drip down the sides, otherwise this will spoil the puff pastry lines) and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove and brush the tops again with egg yolk and use a cocktail stick to make a small hole in the middle of each shape (for the steam to escape). At this point, you can decorate the crowns and galette: using a sharp knife, trace any pattern you wish over the top (careful not to cut too deep). Return to the fridge for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan), 220 °C (non fan).
9. When the oven is at temperature, put the crowns and galette in the oven and immediately bring the temperature down to 180°C (fan), 200°C (non fan). Bake the crowns for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top. After 15 minutes, turn them round in the oven. The round galette will need longer (approximately 50 minutes, but check regularly after 40 minutes). While they’re in the oven, make the sugar syrup glaze by heating the sugar and water gradually. Don’t stir. As soon as it boils, remove it from the heat.
10. As soon as they’re out of the oven, brush the tops with the sugar syrup to give a lovely, glossy glaze. Leave to cool on a cooling tray. Decorate the crowns with edible gold leaf, if you wish.
11. Serve with cream or ice-cream, cold or hot (simply reheat in the oven). Keeps for about 3 days in an airtight tin.
10. As soon as they’re out of the oven, brush the tops with the sugar syrup to give a lovely, glossy glaze. Leave to cool on a cooling tray. Decorate the crowns with edible gold leaf, if you wish.
11. Serve with cream or ice-cream, cold or hot (simply reheat in the oven). Keeps for about 3 days in an airtight tin.