For Galette des Rois, I prefer the almond cream stuffing ... not the frangipane cream, just the almond cream one... It is has also nothing to do with apple stuffing. This last one is not a galette any more, it is an excellent apple pie.

The puff pastry making technique is quite difficult for newbe. I therefore recommend getting a ready to use one. Frozen or chilled does the job. Just allow plenty of time ( 2 hours ) to unfreeze.

Here we go. You’ve done or obtained some puff pastry. 450g should be enough.

You’ll have to prepare the almond cream :

100 grams grounded almond, mix with same weigh of caster sugar. Add 100 grams of creamed butter and add 2 or 3 eggs. Smooth it all with a spatula (you can use a mixer to fluff it)
Add a flavour : rum or bitter almond extract. Optionally "lier" with a little bit of "crème pâtissière".

Background knowledge break : The frangipane cream.

The frangipane cream is actually a common base for a variety of pastry creams. The sweet frangipane is made of : 2 litters milk, 325 grams caster sugar, 3 eggs and 4 yolks, 100 grams flour, 50 grams rice starch, 20 grams starch. One mixes all ingredients, pour the milk on it and bring to the boil for thickening it. In our example, the pithiviers, one will flavour with rum. Eventually, we’ll add fragipane to almond cream.

Back to business...

You will flatten the pastry and cut off tow discs ( one slightly larger ). You’ll flip over those discs ( for a better raise ). Prepare a gold mix : an egg yolk added with its weigh of water a pinch of sugar and pinch of salt.

Lay the almond cream on the small disc centre. The cream should be dense, not flowing.

See pastry assembly pictures: clic the pics

Brush lower disc side with gold mix.

Place the second disc on top.

Make the sides stick while pressuring them with thumb. Also “chiqueter” : using a knife, do small cuts on the sides.

Cut off a small hole in the top disc centre : It is the “cheminée”. ( This will avoid sides to break apart when steam is created in oven. )

Brush top disc and decorate it.

I can not understate how important it is to leave the galette ( le pithiviers ) in a cool place for at least one hour. Then finish up decoration. Give an other gold brush.

Moisturise a cooker tray. ( Do not grease it ! ). Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper on it and the galette.

During cooking, you’ll brush the coloured surface with light sugar syrup.

Cooking : Quick and limited.

Cooking is fast. Preheat oven on 200°C. Start cooking and let the puff develops for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 180°C to cook pastry thoroughly for a generous 20 minutes...

To be enjoyed warm, listening to "Blue Tango" by old chap Paolo Conte.

On can add lots of "fève" ( charm ) to keep all children happy !

 

Translation to english by - Traduction vers l'anglais faite par : Gilles Tabary

Les sites de Gilles
http://www.bigfoot.com/ Relais.La.Fuye .
http://gilles.tabary.free.fr/

Merci pour cette contribution agréable