Galette Des Rois King Cake Food

TRADITIONAL FRENCH GALETTE DES ROIS RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine almond meal, sugar, egg, softened butter, vanilla extract, and flour in the bowl of a food processor .
• Blend to a smooth, creamy paste. Feel free to make this cream a few days in advance, then refrigerate in an airtight container.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out 2 sheets of puff pastry and cut into 2 (11-inch) discs. Place one disc on the prepared baking sheet. Spread an even layer of almond cream, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
• If you wish to include a dried fava bean, you can do so at this point. Simply nestle it in the almond cream. Brush some of the beaten egg over the pastry border.
• Place second puff pastry disc on top of filling, and crimp edges with a fork to seal the cake.
• Using a sharp knife, score a decorative pattern into the top layer of pastry without cutting through to the almond filling. Brush galette with the remaining beaten egg (this will create a golden crust).
• Bake cake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and dust cake with confectioners' sugar.
• Return to oven and bake until the puff pastry becomes a deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes more. Allow cake to cool for 20 minutes before serving.

TWELFTH NIGHT CAKE OR KING CAKE(GALETTE DES ROIS)

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 block of puff pastry to form a 10-inch square. Using a sharp knife, cut out a 10-inch round, using a dinner plate as a guide.
• Repeat this step with the second block of puff pastry.
• To make the filling, combine milk, butter, sugar, vanilla and cornstarch. Add the three lightly beaten eggs and mix until well blended.
• Cook in a pot at low heat stirring continually until it thickens or prepare this in the microwave stopping from time to time to stir it (I prefer to prepare this in the microwave).
• Now take from the heat away, add grated lemon zest, rum and ground almonds.
• Stir all together well.
• To assemble, place the undecorated round of pastry on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Spread almond filling over the circle, leaving a 1-inch border. Using a pastry brush, glaze the border with lightly beaten egg.
• Place a trinket or dried bean in the filling.
• Place the second round of pastry over the filling, pressing the edges to seal.
• Using a sharp paring knife, decorate one round with "s" cuts, like swirly spokes going from the centre to the edge of the round or make some cuts "v" shaped cuts with scissors.
• Glaze the top with lightly beaten egg.
• Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Remove and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Decorate with the gold paper crown.
• Note: if it is your first time observing this tradition, don't forget to warn everyone about the hidden charm or bean!

GALETTE DES ROIS

Steps:

• For the cream filling: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the almonds, then the egg, rum and vanilla. Beat until smooth with a fork. Cover and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• For the pastry shell: Lay an 8-inch/20 cm round plate on one sheet of cold pastry and go around it with a knife. Do the same for the top round, but then roll this one a little with a rolling pin to make it slightly larger than the bottom round. Lay the smaller round of chilled dough on a dampened baking sheet. Spread the chilled cream filling over, leaving a good 1-inch/2.5 cm margin all around the edge. Hide a bean somewhere in the cream. Brush the border with egg wash. Lay on the top round and press the edges well to seal. Score the edge all around with the blunt side of a knife to seal. Make a cross in the center for steam to escape and draw spirals out to the edges for decoration. Brush with egg wash all over the top, avoiding the edges, so that they'll puff up easily. Chill in the freezer until very firm, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F/230 degrees C. Bake the cake until puffed up high and dark golden in color. Sprinkle with a thin coating of confectioners' sugar and blast under the broiler or melt with a blowtorch. You can also brush with melted apricot jam for a glaze.

GALETTE DES ROIS-KING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With an electric beater, mix all the ingredients for the frangipane cream just until blended. On a slightly floured cold surface, cut 2 circles the size of dinner plates out of the puff pastry. Put one of them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush one inch around the edge of the circle with egg wash (beaten egg yolk). Spread half of the frangipane cream on the center and place the second circle on top matching the edges of the circles. Press all around the edges to glue them together. Press softly in the center to evenly spread the filling. If making 2 galettes use remaining cream and follow the same method for preparation.
• Decorate the galette with a fork, press edges together all around-no pricking. With the point of a knife, make any kind of design being careful not to go all the way through the puff pastry. Brush the surface with egg wash being careful no to get any on the sides.
• Bake the galette in the center of a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes then 350 degrees for 30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, sprinkle with powdered sugar and bake until golden brown. Serve warm with gold paper crown on top.
• For the tradition of Epiphany in the privacy of your kitchen cut the galette in as many parts as people in the party. In one of them, insert a little ceramic toy (big enough to prevent swallowing). In the old days, they used a dried fava bean, so to this day it is still called "la feve." Everyone picks 1 piece of galette the one who discovers the toy is made the king of the day and wears the crown. He picks a queen by putting the toy in her glass and everyone raises his or her glass and applauds. Same process in reverse if a lady finds the toy. Tradition says that the next party should be at the king's expense.