Galette des Rois

I made so many of these when I was an intern (stagiaire) at Fauchon in Paris way back when. This delicious frangipane-filled tart is the French way to celebrate Epiphany on January 6, but of course, it stays around all month in France. Traditionally there’s a fève (ceramic figure) hidden inside the tart and whoever finds it in their piece is crowned king or queen for the day. These days I use an almond or a bean. Use store-bought puff pastry; look for one made with butter if you can find it (Dufour, Trader Joe’s). You don’t need a special pan, just a plate or bottom of a pan to make your circles.

Almond Cream

7 T (100g) unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
1⁄2 c (50g) confectioners’ sugar
1 c (100g) almond flour
Pinch salt
1 t vanilla bean paste, or extract
1 t rum or cognac (optional)
1⁄4 t almond extract (optional)
1 package store-bought puff pastry, rolled to make 2 9” circles of dough
1 whole almond or bean for the fève
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon milk or water for egg wash

Transfer dough to a sheet pan lined with parchment and keep them refrigerated while you make the almond cream.

Beat the butter with a whisk until very smooth. Add the egg and beat in until smooth. Add sugar, almond flour, salt, vanilla, and rum. Stir until smooth and uniform. Refrigerate until needed.

Remove sheet pan from the refrigerator and spread almond cream on the bottom dough circle, leaving a 1” border all around (I like to use a pastry bag but you can just spread it with a knife or offset). Hide the fève in the filling. Brush the exposed border liberally with water. Place the second dough circle on top and seal the edges very well so filling can’t leak out. Scallop edges or use a fork to press down edges creating a decorative border. Chill galette in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove galette from the refrigerator, brush top with egg wash being careful to not let it drip down the sides of the galette. This will inhibit the rise. Use the tip of a paring knife to etch a design and cut 5 vents in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake in the lower half of the oven until it’s golden and puffed, 30-40 minutes. Slide onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or room temperature.