La galette des rois

I made the puff pastry on Thursday and it stayed in the refrigerator over night. You don't have to do that, but that's the way it worked out for me this time. When you're ready to make the cake, all you have to do is to roll out the dough so that you can cut two identical circles from it.

Roll out the dough to about an eighth of an inch thick, but large enough for two circles.

You need to be careful to keep the dough flat. Remember, it's pâte feuilletée (puff pastry). If you ball it up it won't puff up the way it should. So keep it flat. Once it's rolled out, cut two identical circles using a plate or other guide and a sharp knife. Fold up what's left and put it in plastic wrap for later; you can freeze it with no problem.

Cut out two identical circles. You can use a plate or a tarte pan bottom, like I did here.

Now it's time to fill the pastry. I used store-bought frangipane because the store was out of the ingredient I needed to make my own. That's why it's green (yuck). Normally I mix almond flour, sugar, and eggs to make the filling. That's much better. You can also fill the cake with applesauce or any fruit compote if you like. You also need to add the fève (the prize). This one is a little plate we got in a galette from a local bakery years ago. Yes, I save them.

Fill the bottom layer and don't forget the prize!

Use a little egg wash around the outside to be sure the top layer will stick, then put the top layer on. With a sharp knife, make a nice decoration on top and nick the edges as you see here. Once that's done and the oven is hot, use the remaining egg wash to cover the top of the cake. Be sure not to let the egg drip onto the edges of the cake because that could keep it from rising as it should.

Make some nice designs on top with a knife. This is an easy one, but they can be anything you like.

I baked this one in a hot oven for 30 minutes, turning the heat down to moderate about half-way through. The cake is a little lopsided because I didn't roll my dough completely flat. But who cares? It's still beautiful and it tasted great!

The finished cake! Let it cool then cut into it. Who will get the prize?