Celebrate Epiphany with a Galette des Rois

  

While Americans were back at work today, France, Italy, and most of Europe enjoyed  yet another a day off.  Today is Epiphany.  The end of the 12 days of Christmas and the day the Three Kings finally made it to the baby Jesus, bringing him gifts. 

  

 

In Italy today is the day of La Befana, celebrations take place in Venice, Florence, Rome and throughout the country.  La Befana, the witch brings little children stockings full of candy if they’ve been good, and coal (carbone) if they’ve been bad.  Judy, at Divina Cucina, shares her recipe for coal here, which you can make in an appetizing color for good kids or black for bad kids.

  

 

In France they celebrate Epiphany with a Galette des Rois (Kings Cake), also known as a pithivier.  It’s an old-school pastry but still all the rage in Paris, with each patissier making his/her own version of the traditional galette.  It’s made with puff pastry, and the traditional one has a filling of frangipane (half pastry cream and half almond cream). 

  

  

   

When I lived in Paris, I remember the first time I saw this cake.  It was the day after Christmas, and all the  Buche de Noel were removed from patisserie windows and the Galette des Rois took over. Another thing I noticed was that these cakes were prevalent at the patisseries long after Epiphany was over.  They made them up until Mardis Gras.  Thinking about it, they even left the Christmas decorations up until Mardis Gras.  At one point, I wondered if the tree in front of Notre Dame would ever come down.  I’m not sure if they really love this galette, or they just want to extend Christmas season for as long as possible.  (Maybe a little of both.)

  

Inside the cake is a little “prize.”  It can be a gold coin, a bean (le feve), or any other little trinket. Whoever receives the “prize” in his/her slice is king/queen for the day.  Each galette comes with a paper crown.  (I have elderly people in my family and didn’t want to scare them with trinkets in their food, so I put a dried cherry inside the one I made.)  Before slicing the galette, the youngest family member must go underneath the table and yell out the name of the person who is to receive each slice, so there is no cheating.

  

If you didn’t have today off, you can still celebrate it with a Galette des Rois.  Theoretically, you have from now until Fat Tuesday to enjoy it.  (Actually, I think they make a similar version of this cake in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.)

   

 

Below is the recipe and step-by-step instructions for making puff pastry, which isn’t as hard to make, as it seems.  There are just a few tricks to doing it. 

  

 

Buy the best quality European butter you can find (I use Plugra).  In French patisseries, they use dry butter (beurre sec).  It is a plaque of butter with only 5-10% water in it.  Because it is "drier" than regular butter, it more easily keeps in tact when it’s rolled out.  We don’t have it in the U.S., but a high-quality European butter will work.

  

The butter should be kept as cold as possible while rolling the dough.  Ideally you want to have one layer of dough and then one layer of butter, which multiplies with each turn.  You end up with 729 layers, if done correctly.  The heat causes the water in the butter to expand, and there you have the “puff” in puff pastry.  If the butter gets too soft while you’re rolling it out, it will melt into the dough, and you will lose your puff. 

  

Making the Puff Pastry:

1. The base dough (detrempe)

  

 
2. Putting in the butter block

  

3. Enveloping the butter block, then it's rolled lengthwise

  

4.  After the dough has been rolled, tri-folded, and turned.  This is done 6 times, then rolled out to 1/8-inch thick.   

  

5.  This is what the Galette des Rois looks like before it goes into the oven. 

 

  

Galette des Rois (Pithivier)

(serves 8-10 people)

  

2 1/3 cup (500 g) all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons (75 g) butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon (10 g) salt

1 cup  (250 ml) water, cold (plus 1-3 tablespoons more if necessary)

  

1 pound (455 grams) European butter

  

1 cup pastry cream (recipe below)

1 recipe (1 cup) almond cream (recipe below)

2 teaspoons rum or kirsch

1 bean or "trinket"

  

For the egg wash:

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

For the simple syrup:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

  

To make the dough, cut the butter into the flour so that it is just mixed in.  Dissolve the salt in  the water and add to the flour mixture.  Mix together (either by hand or with a stand mixer on the slowest speed) until the dough comes together.  Gather the dough into a ball and make a cross cut on the top.  Wrap in plastic and put in the refrigerator for one hour.  This is the base dough (detrempe) to which the "dry" butter block is added and turned.

  

 

Meanwhile, pound the butter into a butter block, rectangular in size about 6 by 4-inches and 1/2-inch thick.  Wrap the butter in plastic wrap and refrigerate until 15 minutes before taking out the base dough (detrempe).  Ideally, you want the texture of the base dough and the butter to be the same when putting them together.

  

Roll the base dough into a square large enough to envelope the butter block.  Each of the four corners should be rolled out a little extra.  Add the butter block to the center of the base dough, and fold the corners in, making an envelope.  Roll the dough lengthwise only, into a strip that is 3 times the width of the dough.  Fold the dough into thirds, top third down and bottom third up and turn it to the side. (This is your first turn).  Roll the dough lengthwise again, stopping once the dough's length is 3 times its width and make another letter fold.  (Your second turn).  Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

  

After two hours, remove the dough and repeat the above, making two more turns.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

After one hour, remove the dough and repeat again, making two more turns.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour; overnight is even better. 

  

 

Remove the dough, which now has had 6 turns, and roll out into a square that is 1/8-inch (3mm) in thickness.  It is important not to roll it thinner than this.  (Now, you should roll it both vertically and horizontally, not only lengthwise).  Cut out two circles, one 9-inches in diameter, the other 9 1/2-inches in diameter.  Place on a baking sheet, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  (You can put it in the freezer for the last 15 minutes to get the butter very cold.)

Preheat the oven to 475º F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  

To assemble the pithivier, put the dough that is 9-inches in diameter on the prepared baking sheet.  Mix together the pastry cream, almond cream and rum.  Add to the center of the dough.  Spread it out to the edges, leaving a one-inch border at the edges.  Brush the top of the dough along that one-inch border with the egg wash.  Place the other circle of dough on top and very lightly press the edges together.  With a sharp knife, lightly score the top of the pithivier, no deeper than 1mm, in a decorative form.  (You can also cut half-circles along the edges, if you like.) Lightly brush with the egg wash, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. 

  

 

Remove and lightly brush with another coating of egg wash.  Place in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 400º F.  Bake for 40 minutes.

  

While the pithivier is baking make the simple syrup.  Boil the water and sugar.  Once it comes to a boil, remove from the heat and let rest until the pithivier is done. 

  

When the pithivier is golden brown, remove from the ovem and immediately  brush a coating of the simple syrup onto the top of the pithivier.  Slice, serve, and enjoy!

  

Pastry Cream

(makes about 2 1/2 cups*)

  

2 cups (500 g) whole milk

1 vanilla bean

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (50 g) cornstarch

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, bring the milk and the vanilla bean, which has been scraped, and its scrapings to a boil.  While the milk is heating up, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they

have lightened in color.  Add the cornstarch and whisk to combine. 

  

Once the milk has boiled, slowly pour all of it into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs, whisking while you pour.  Pour the entire mixture back into the pan (switch pans if there is any sign of scorched milk at the bottom of the pan) and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  As soon as the mixture boils, take off the heat and continue stirring for one minute.  Let cool for about 2 minutes, then add the softened butter.  Whisk together to combine.  Place in a 9x13-inch glass dish and place plastic wrap on top of the pastry cream (so a film doesn’t develop).  Refrigerate until cool.

  

*You will have extra pastry cream, but it’s not advised to reduce this recipe further or you end up cooking the eggs to quickly and having lumpy pastry cream.

  

Almond Cream

(makes about 1 cup)

  

7 tablespoons (100 g) butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup (100 g) powdered sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup (100 g) blanched and ground almonds

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  

Cream the butter and the sugar.  Mix in the cornstarch.  Add the ground almonds and mix in.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and combine.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Comments

[Viviane]

wow it looks great!

[dokuzuncubulut]

Perfect recipe. Thanks...

[Stephanie Parker]

Very nice - beautiful cake

[Tiffiny Felix]

Gracious! What a gorgeous creation!! And the creams inside.... Just beautiful... :)

[Paula Aiello]

It turned out great! I just thought of another money-maker: have an ongoing "bake sale" of your creations after you photograph and post the pix! (assuming you don't use food-photographers' techniques like spraying on varnish or slathering it with vaseline). Love it.

[The Duo Dishes]

You did an amazing job with the puff pastry. It may not be difficult, but it is time consuming. No doubt, it's worth the effort!

[Noelle (An Opera Singer in the Kitchen)]

How elegant and beautiful! Great job.

[Memoria]

Wow! You did a fabulous job!! The galette turned out perfectly!

La Epifania is also celebrated in Central and South America and unofficially in some parts of the U.S. I made a Rosca de Reyes just for that day. It is nice to see all the different traditions being celebrated through food.

[lululu]

wow. great job!!!!
it looks so beautiful, and i bet it must taste divine!

[sadaf]

i have no words just perfect

[MaryMoh]

That looks beautiful and delicious...mmmm. Thanks for sharing step by step way to make it.

[PT]

I went gaga over your site. It felt like home with all of my favorites. Very professional, well written and photographed. I just enjoyed it so much and thank you for sharing your foodie-ism! Shall return back for a bite of more.
Cheers, PT

Come visit us again at http://ptsaldari.posterous.com/ Two new articles, one from a chef and one about being a chef.

[deana@lostpastremembered]

Beautiful job and the photo is gorgeous... great to have the pastry lesson!

[Jozee Pizzurro]

I love the stories behind your creations. They are so interesting and this pastry looks wonderful.

[Kendra]

I made this for Jan 6th 2009 on a whip. I will have to try your way. I used an almond paste that I made in the center of mine. I also forgot the prize...but the people who ate it didn't miss it!

[The Paris Food Blague]

how beautiful this is...i made a galette this year (the first time!) but was obliged to go with store-bought puff pastry. i'll have to try your recipe next january.

merci!
-The Paris Food Blague