WHAT IS GALETTE DE ROIS ?
Defined as the three king's cake, galette de rois was created in the honour of the arrival of three kings who travelled thousand of miles to visit baby Jesus in Bethlehem on January 6th. In France, galette de rois are vastly available from the first week of every year. Although not a tradition I am familiar with, I do remember my first experience with them on my first job as an apprentice in a French Patisserie here in Melbourne, Australia.
When preparing the galette, a small porcelain doll are often placed in with the frangipane filling. The idea is that whomever receive the slice with the doll in it will be claimed king for the day.
WHAT IS A GALETTE ?
The word galette comes from Norman French word and are often referred to as a round flat cakes. Galette de rois are usually made with two discs of puff pastry filled with a frangipane filling.
In this post, I will be sharing with you a variation of a traditional galette that are usually made with almond frangipane with a delicious hazelnut paste filling sandwiched between two discs of chocolate puff pastry.
FRANGIPANE
Frangipane refers to a filling that are often used in tarts and cakes that encompass a mixture of butter, eggs, ground almonds and sugar and are often baked.
WHAT ELSE IS IN THIS POST?
In this post, I have included a step by step guide to how to make and laminate chocolate puff pastry.
The lamination process can seem like a lengthy process but it is very well worth the effort. In this recipe, we will be doing 3 sets of double folds/ book fold with 15-20 minutes of rest in between.
RECIPE
CHOCOLATE PUFF PASTRY
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
Chocolate Puff pastry | 800g |
To learn how to make your own chocolate puff pastry, please view "Inverted Chocolate Puff Pastry: Step by Step".
HAZELNUT PRALINE CREAM
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
Unsalted Butter | 60g |
Brown Sugar | 30g |
Eggs | 40g |
Praline Paste | 65g |
Ground Hazelnuts | 50g |
Sea Salt Flakes | 2g |
SUGAR SYRUP
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
Water | 50ml |
Caster Sugar | 80g |
METHOD
FOR THE GALETTE
1. Roll 800g puff pastry to approximately 45cm x 30cm of 5mm in thickness.
2. Fold the puff pastry lengthways to two equal halves.
3. Using a 14cm ring as a guide, mark the center of one of the puff pastry.
Pipe the Hazelnut Praline cream in the center of the marked puff pastry.
Brush egg wash around the sides of the praline cream, then place the other half of the puff pastry on top. Press down on the sides of the cream, ensuring that you push out as much air as possible to prevent uneven rise during baking. Using the 14cm ring again, gently press down around the sides of where the cream are to seal the edges.
Now, using a 20cm round ring, place it around where the cream are centered in between the two pastry, ensuring that it is well centered. Using a sharp knife, trim around the outside of the ring to create a 20cm disc.
Note: The puff pastry off cuts can be re used for other applications.
Transfer the galette on to a parchment paper onto a tray then place the galette in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes or until it starts to harden.
Once ready, remove the galette from the freezer. Turn it over so that the flat side is facing upwards. Brush to flat surface of the galette with some egg wash, then starting from the centre across to the edge, score the top lightly with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut too deep as this can cause an opening of the score lines during baking.
Transfer the galette on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the pre heated oven at 180°C for 40 minutes or until it is well baked through.
Once baked, brush the top with sugar syrup and cool over a wire rack.
VIDEO SUMMARY
