"Galette des rois" (Epiphany pie)
For the feast of Epiphany one makes, according to the regions of Europe, several types of pastries. In northern France, we love the round puff pastry, a variation of traditional pithiviers, usually garnished with almond cream or “frangipane”. This pie may be of Walloon origin. In the Mediterranean Basin and in Provence, a brioche with candied fruits, often in the form of a crown, is preferred. The bottom line is that the cake in question contains a bean, a small ceramic object that makes the one who finds it in his share a king or queen for a day. Originally, the object slipped into the slab was a real bean, or sometimes a piece of gold depending on the social level of the participants. The custom goes back to the Roman festivities of the Saturnalia, which took place around the beginning of January. For seven days masters and slaves were put on an equal footing, and a temporary "king" was cast by lot with the help of a bean.
The habit of stuffing the cake with an almond filling has become widespread over the last thirty years. Previously, the pie of Kings filled were rarer. The best accompaniment for this pie is a good champagne.
Alain Ducasse, famous starred Chef of French Gastronomy, reveals here his recipe.
Ingredients (Serve 6)
Preparation of frangipane
100 g of almond powder
100 g icing sugar
100 g of softened butter
1 egg
175 g french custard (120ml milk, ½ vanilla pod, 1 egg yolk, 25g sugar, 12g flour and 5g butter)
Montage of the cake
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of sugar
500g puff pastry
The frangipane
1 bean
Syrup preparation
125ml of water
125 g caster sugar
Directions
Step 1: Preparation of frangipane
- In the bowl of the beater, add the softened butter.
- Add the almond powder and the icing sugar.
- Gradually add the egg and the French custard.
- Keep cool.
Step 2: Assembling the pie
- Spread the puff pastry into two thin slices of 24 cm diameter, one 1.5 mm thick and the other 2 mm.
- Garnish the 1.5 cm drop of frangipane starting from the center and leaving a margin of 2 cm.
- Place the bean in it, pressing it lightly. Lightly moisten the lining margin not covered by the cream with water, then put the second layer down 2 mm thick on the first.
- Weld the two lowered by pressing the edge with your finger. Flip the cake.
- Crack the egg into a bowl, add the water, salt and sugar and mix well.
- Brush the pie, then keep it cool for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pie from the refrigerator, coat it again and scratch it with a sharp knife, but without crossing the dough.
- Then chick the edges of the dough.
- Next drill a few holes to prevent it from swelling too much during cooking.
- Keep it cool for 20 minutes
.
Step 3: Preparation of the syrup
- Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until boiling.
- During cooking clean the edges of the pan with a brush to prevent caramel from forming.
- As soon as the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the pan from the heat.
- Let cool.
Step 4: Finishing and presentation
- Preheat the oven to 200 ° C (thermostat 6).
- Bake 30 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and reserve it on a rack.
- Polish the cake with syrup.
- Dress on a serving platter.
