King's and queen's cake (Galette in French)

I love January mainly for the galette. Most people start the year with new resolutions like being more active or eating healthier. I have resolutions too, don't get me wrong, but what interests me most when January comes around is how many galettes I'm going to devour. And that often turns out to be at least one a week!

For the record, the galette des rois is associated with Christianity because it's eaten on Epiphany (January 6), but according to a National Geographic article, sharing a galette dates back to pagan times when slaves were made to share a cake with the Romans, in which a bean was hidden. Whoever found the bean was king for the day.

I have vivid memories of this quest for the bean and my pseudo coronations. Every January brings back memories of sharing, of the smell of frangipane king's cakes and the ceremony during which the youngest person must distribute the slices of cake blindly. The person with the bean gets the crown and must choose his or her king or queen for the day.

The galette recipe is relatively simple and allows for a multitude of variations for a result that's always guaranteed. Here's my recipe.

Recipe

Custard

• 125 ml of milk

• 1 egg

• 50 g of sugar

• 25 g of cornstarch

• 25 g of butter

• 1 vanilla pod or a few drops of vanilla extract

Ingredients

• 2 discs of puff pastry

• 50 g of butter (soft)

• 50 g of sugar

• 50 g of egg (1 medium egg)

• 50 g almond powder

• 25 g of custard

• 5 g of rum

• 1 bean

• 1 egg (for browning)

Preparation

Custard

Start by preparing the custard (crème pâtissière) by pouring the milk into a saucepan. Scrape out the vanilla and add to the milk. Heat the milk over medium heat without boiling.

Mix the egg and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cornstarch and stir.

Once the milk is hot, pour half over the sugar/egg/starch mixture. Mix well and pour over the remaining milk. Return to the stove over medium heat, whisking constantly.

Cook until the mixture thickens. Once thickened, continue cooking for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped butter. Whisk to incorporate the butter.

Pour into a bowl, seal and chill.

Frangipane (Almond cream)

Mix the soft butter with 50 g sugar in a mixing bowl, then add the egg. Whip the custard to loosen it and add 25 g to the previous mixture. Add the rum and mix again. Pipe the crème frangipane into a piping bag and set aside.

Assembly

Unroll the puff pastry discs.

Using a piping bag, spread a thick layer of frangipane, making sure to leave at least 3 cm (1 1/4 inches). Don't forget to include your bean! Brush the edges with water.

Place the 2nd puff pastry disk on top and gently seal the edges. Use a circle to cut the edges with a knife.

Leave to rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Beat your egg in a bowl.

Take the galette out, turn it over, brush it with the egg once and put it back in the fridge for ten minutes.

Take the cake out of the fridge again and brown a second time.

Use the back of a knife to decorate your galette. Now's the time to get creative and let your imagination run wild. Be careful not to pierce the dough.

Place your galette in the freezer for around twenty minutes before baking in the oven

at 180°C for 30 to 35 minutes.

Leave to cool on a wire rack when removed from the oven.

Serve the galette with cider, not forgetting to draw the king or queen of the day.

Enjoy!

Vary the taste by adding chocolate chips, caramelized apples, salted butter caramel or frozen fruit (raspberries, blueberries, etc.) to your frangipane, or mix hazelnut powder with almond powder.

Tip: I like to grind my own almond powder from whole almonds. The texture of the frangine is a little grittier and brings out the taste of the almonds more.