Galette des Rois, the Feast of the Epiphany French style

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets celebrations, Christmas, Reyes magos, Three Kings Day

Galette des rois is not, as the name implies, a Spanish treat but a French one.  Usually made and enjoyed on the feast of the Epiphany, I thought this was a good moment to make it. 

The feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, commemorates the visit of the Three Kings, the Three Wise Men, to baby Jesus in Bethlehem. In Spain, the feast is widely celebrated, marking the end of the Christmas season —and also the day when the children receive their presents and toys that the Three Kings, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, bring them.

In Spain, the feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings Day is celebrated almost as widely and largely as Christmas Day. Families get together again for one last meal before returning to the routine of work and school the next day. Dessert is particularly special! A cake called Roscón de Reyes is shared this day. It is a ring shaped orange blossom flavored brioche-like cake filled with cream or whipped cream and decorated with candied fruit and toasted almonds. Inside, a hidden figurine will bring good fortune to the person whose slice of cake contains it. 

So happy to be together!

Handel’s Messiah by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic at the Auer Performance Hall of Purdue Fort Wayne

Merry Christmas from our family

Truffle filled yule log for dessert

Santa’s coming!

I wrote about this tradition in a previous post, which you can check in more detail here. I also shared the recipe for roscón de Reyes, so I thought it appropriate to share a similar cake and tradition, but in this case of France. 

In its most traditional version, galette des rois consists of a puff pastry cake decorated with notches incised across its top and browned in the oven. It is usually filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs and sugar. Like roscón de Reyes, galette des rois contains a charm called the fève, hidden inside.

This year, and as our family grows —not in new members yet, but in years!— we will not be celebrating the feast of the Three Kings together, as the older boys have work obligations and have to return to their places of residence. However, we have enjoyed a good long week together, savoring every moment with delicious meals, wines and cocktails (our older ones are quite the bartenders), inspiring religious events (Midnight Mass at the Cathedral), games (1000 piece puzzle completed!), concerts (Handel’s Messiah by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Choir!), musicals (Hamilton!), trips (Chicago!), movies (Napoleon!), Netflix series (All the Light We Can Not See!) and generally enjoying our time together. 

As the year 2023 comes to an end and we celebrate the coming of the new one, I can only ask for health, work, prosperity and world peace. May 2024 and the Three Kings, the Three Wise Men, bring the wisdom the world so desperately needs.  

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GALETTE DES ROIS

Tarta de los Reyes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: 10

Author: Natacha Sanz Caballero, Mama Ía blog

Ingredients

• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 6 Tbs butter softened
• 2/3 cups icing sugar
• 2/3 cups almond flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 small figurine for the charm

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand up mixer, beat the butter with the icing sugar until creamy. Add the almond flour and the salt and mix well. Then add one egg and the white of the other one (reserve the yolk for later). Mix well until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix until blended with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour.
• In a small bowl, mix the remaining yolk with 1 Tbs cold water. Beat to mix, cover and refrigerate.
• Thaw puff pastry according to instructions on box. On a lightly floured surface, extend one of the puff pastry sheets. Cut out the corners to form a circle and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Follow the same process with the second puff pastry sheet.
• Spread the filling over the dough on the cookie sheet, leaving a 1-inch border uncovered. Lightly press the charm on the filling. Moisten the border of the dough with cold water, place the second circle of puff pastry on top and press the edges to seal. With a butter knife, scallop the edges by lightly pressing into the dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 425ºF.
• Brush a thin layer of the yolk glaze over the galette, avoiding the border so the glaze doesn’t drip down the rim (otherwise the galette won’t rise). With the tip of a paring knife, etch a design on the top of the galette (I started in the center and drew a fan). Cut 5 or 6 small slits on the galette as steam vents.
• Turn the heat down to 400ºF and bake the galette for 20 minutes, checking after 15 minutes. The galette should puff up and be deeply golden (bake a few minutes longer if necessary).
• Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes (the galette will deflate slightly).
• Serve warm or at room temperature.