La Galette des Rois!

Well, the French hubby is back in the kitchen, with another French inspired post...

January 6, the Feast of Epiphany or Little Christmas, is a holy festival honoring the wise men (aka the Three Kings) coming to the infant Jesus. 

This is one of the most popular eating traditions in France, and takes place in January every year. Since I am a huge fan of almond paste and marzipan, this is one pie I would look forward to every January growing up, because this is the only time bakeries offer this delicious treat.  Imagine a pie-sized almond croissant! So good!  And fun too!  A "feve" - a small china figurine - is hidden in the galette before baking.  The lucky guest who gets the feve is crowned king, or queen...  As you may imagine, many a drama have resulted from not getting the feve, so much so that mom often times would get 2 galettes, so both my sister and I could be crowned!  We even did it at school, truly fun memories...  Now it is my turn to introduce my family to this tradition, and it is my humble pleasure to share this with you also!

I recommend cutting the galette into 8 equal slices, away from the presentation table, so you can re-hide the feve, should you cut into it when dividing up the slices.  Kids get first pick of the slice, and you usually keep eating until someone finds the feve... It's even more fun if you have an actual cardboard crown (you can get cut-outs online easily these days).  Have fun and enjoy this unique French treat!

Legal disclaimer:  Be careful when biting into the galette, as you do not want to bite down hard on the feve; it may chip your tooth. Also be careful when giving to small children, as they may choke.


Recipe    (serves 8)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb frozen puff pastry
2 eggs
7 oz almond paste

Preparation:
Leave the puff pastry at room temperature for about 2 hours until defrosted but still cold.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease the pan and lightly sift flour on it. Shake off any excess flour.  Roll each sheet of pastry into a circle about 12 inches across.
Place one circle on the prepared pan.
Mix 1 egg with the almond paste until smooth (it is a lot easier if you shred the almond paste using a food processor) and spread the mixture, leaving a border 1 1/2 inches wide all around.  If you have a small china, insert it into the almond mixture (you may also use a bean as a feve.)

Using a small seashell for a feve

Place the second circle of pastry on top and press it down tightly around the rim.
Beat lightly the remaining egg and brush it liberally on top of the cake.  With a long bladed knife, press lightly but firmly through the egg glaze marking a crisscross pattern.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and puffed.  Very importantly, do not check for doneness for at least 15 minutes, as the pastry may collapse.
Serve slightly warm or cold.

Recipe courtesy of Embassade de France aux Etats-Unis, Janvier 2001.