Galette des rois v. 2023

Here's this year's version of the traditional galette des rois (Kings' cake) made for the Epiphany. In our region, the "cake" is made with pâte feuilletée (flaky pastry) filled with a frangipane custard. For some reason, the two halves of this year's cake sort of separated in the oven, even though I had stuck them together using egg wash, as I always do. No matter. It still tasted the same. Neither one of us got the fève in the first piece, so it's still inside the cake. We'll see if it shows up today.

Galette des rois, 2023. Taken with the Pixel 6.

Making the cake (it's not really a cake, but more of a pastry) each year is an almost day-long process. I make my own flaky pastry. It has to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes between each fold. I did between six and eight double folds altogether, I lost count, and I didn't mark the dough to remember. It's a little work, but for a once-a-year pastry, it's okay. I also make the frangipane filling myself. Store-bought galettes can be good (especially from a good bakery), but you pay a lot for them. A decent compromise is to buy the flaky pastry pre-made from the supermarket. I've done that a time or two, but I enjoy making my own. It comes out a little different every year.