Saturday, January 07, 2023

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.

8 comments:

  1. That looks beautiful and I’m sure it was delicious. We’ve seen lots of kings cakes in the Paris bakeries in the last few days.
    BettyAnn

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  2. Another work of art. I really enjoy the Spanish version, roscon de reyes, but the smallest I find in bakeries should serve 6 I think. SG doesn’t like it and I sure won't bake one myself. Next year I'll buy one for friends and have one slice.

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  3. Love seeing your creation!

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  4. I love getting to see your galette every year -- my students always get to see it, too!

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  5. And the price is up this year …we got the smallest galette from our boulangerie in Lye. It was 16 euros. Larger models go for 24 or 32 euros.

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  6. Tasty - I bet! Looks fabulous, as yours always do, Walt!

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  7. bettyann, have you tasted one?

    mitch, good plan!

    evelyn, :)

    judy, cool!

    anon, wow. But that is one of the better bakeries around here, so it's probably not a disappointment.

    mary, very tasty!

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    1. No, this is the first time I’ve been to Paris in January.
      BettyAnn

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