Galette Des Rois

Galette Des Rois is French for Kings Cake. I remember this puff pastry almond tart from my childhood in Paris. Before the 6th of January these galettes would show up in the windows of the local patisserie, along with gold paper crowns. They were made to celebrate Epiphany, the time when the three kings came to visit baby Jesus.

They are also made for 12th Night, the end of the Christmas holiday season or Mardi Gras, the celebration before lent...

What I loved was the ritual and the dense almond filling.

First the ritual. Usually served at a party, the youngest person hid under the table while the oldest person cut the cake. From under the table the youngster would call out who would receive each slice. Once the cake was all divvied up, everyone would carefully begin to eat.
Baked inside the cake was a small ceramic figure, whoever got the figure wore the crown and was king !! ( I can hear mothers and dentists cringing at the potential for expensive tooth repairs ;-). In the recipes I found, a dried bean can be substituted for the figure.

Now the recipe...I had made versions of this cake before but was never completely satisfied.
I looked at a lot of recipes online, most had you make your own almond paste and were very complex. I already had some plain marzipan that I wanted to use up. You can find it at most well stocked grocery stores or Cost Plus in season. Or if you want to make it from scratch try this almond filling from David Lebovitz.

In the past the filling had oozed out of the pastry, so I decided to chill the filling for a couple of hours and make the galette in a pan.
Here's what I came up with.

Laurie's Galette des Rois

Ingredients

1 lbs frozen puff pastry ( 2 sheets)
300 grams plain marzipan (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg for an egg wash
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

tart pan with removable bottom, 11 inch ( other round pans about this size will do)
dried bean or ceramic figure and crown ( optional)

1) To get the puff pastry ready to use I like to defrost it the night before in the fridge, that way it is ready when you are.

2) To a standing mixer bowl add the butter, sugar and marzipan cut into chunks.

3) Mix well.

4) Add the eggs one at a time on low speed.
5) Continue to beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
6) Gently fold in the flour.
7) Chill the filling for several hours or overnight.

8) Preheat the oven to 400 F.
9) Remove the puff pastry from the fridge.
9) Lightly spray your pan with oil.
10) Lay one sheet of pastry on the bottom of the pan, making sure it comes all the way up the sides.
11) Beat one egg and brush on the pastry in the pan.
12) Carefully spread the chilled filling, use your fingers to work it all over the pan.
13) Brush the filling with egg wash. If you want to add the figure or bean, now would be the time to press it into the filling.
14) Cover with the second sheet of pastry and carefully seal the edges by pinching them together. Sorry I don't have photos, I was too busy improvising ;-)
15) Brush the top with more egg wash. Using a sharp knife score or cut a pattern on the top.
16) Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan on a baking rack for an hour.

 17) Carefully remove from the pan.

This galette would make a great brunch treat as well.

Stollen, just a little late.

Stollen has become our traditional Christmas morning breakfast bread. I had hoped to post this before Christmas but life got in the way ;-) 

It would make a great item for New Year's Day brunch, we also love to take a loaf up skiing with us. We were first introduced to stollen by our friend Kristina.

 Even if you have no desire to make this scrumptious loaf, the photo essay is fun !! Next year I'll post it sooner in December so you can give it a try.

Stollen 

( modified from an old edition The Joy of Cooking) 

Allow yourself several hours for the whole process, it's a good thing to make while wrapping presents, writing thank you notes, doing laundry or watching football. Traditionally it is made with raisins and candied citrus peel, we prefer it with other dried fruits.

Ingredients:

Have all ingredients at room temperature. This recipe yield 2 large loaves or 4 smaller ones.

6-8 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoon yeast

1 ½ cups milk, scalded and cooled to 110F
½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 cup mixed dried fruit, apricots, strawberries, pears, whatever you like
2 cups chopped
 nuts:  a mix of walnuts, almonds, pecans
¾ cup sugar

1 ½ cups butter,
3 eggs
¾ teaspoon salt
grated rind
 from an orange or lemon
2 tablespoons rum or brandy (optional)
2 packages of baking marzipan (almond paste).

In a large bowl, combine warm milk and yeast.  Add 1 cup of the sifted flour and mix to form a sponge. Let sit in a warm place until doubled.

 

While that is raising, I like to toast the nuts.

And get the dried fruit ready.

I chop the apricots and strawberries.

The 2 cups chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cups dried fruit go into a bowl with 1/2 cup flour.
Mix together well, this keeps them from clumping together in the dough.

In a mixing bowl, cream 1 1/2 cups softened butter. Beat in sugar and blend until light and creamy.

Add eggs one at a time, followed by the salt, orange or lemon rind and brandy or rum.
Mix well. Mix in the fruit and nuts.

I like to add this mixture into the sponge which is in a very large metal mixing bowl.

The recipe calls for 6 to 8 cups flour, I find it closer to 8 cups but add them slowly, mixing until it can be kneaded.

Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if too sticky.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.

To shape dough, toss it onto a floured board and divide in two or three or four.

I like to make one big loaf for Christmas morning, and two smaller ones.

 

The original recipe from Joy of Cooking does not call for the marzipan in the center but that's the way our friend Kristina made it all those years ago and we love it that way. When you toast a slice you can spread the warm marzipan on your slice like butter.
I have found the best place to buy marzipan is at Cost Plus World Market in early December, it's less expensive and fresher than what I have found in the grocery store.
I usually buy four or five packages so I have some for the King's Cake or Galette de Rois that I make in January for Twelfth Night/Epiphany.

Pat dough into a rough oval and roll the marzipan into a long log, place it in the center of the dough.

Fold the dough over the marzipan and pinch to seal.

Place seam side down on parchment paper covered baking sheet and let rise again.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Some people like to brush the loaves with butter before baking. Since I always dust them with powdered once they are out of the oven I don't bother with the butter.
Bake for 40 minutes until they are golden brown.

Move to a cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar.

Allow to cool.
Stollen will keep for several weeks in the fridge or you can wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze.
Serve toasted.