Galette des Rois à la Rachel

Ingredients:

2 rolls of pates feuilletées (preferably made with butter – I like the Marie brand)

100 gm unsalted butter – softened

100g icing sugar (Sucre glace)

100g ground almonds

4 eggs

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon almond essence

1 egg for egg wash – beaten

Optional:

Fruit purée – I like Bonne Maman  – either Apricot or Apple

Preheat the over to 190C (fan)

• Beat the softened butter with the icing sugar until well blended (I use a electric beater for this)
• Throw in the ground almonds and mix well
• Add the eggs, one by one, along with the lemon zest and almond essence, whisking the mixture well after each egg.  Don’t worry if this looks a bit curdled.
• Unroll one of the puff pastry rounds (leave it to cook on the baking paper that it is wrapped in) onto a baking sheet, using a brush or your fingers, moisten a 1cm band around the edge of the pastry with the egg wash to act as ‘glue’ for the top layer.
• If using fruit puree or jam, spread a thin layer onto the pasty making sure to keep 3cm away from the edges
• Pour the almond mix into the middle and  spread out evenly – but again 3cm away from the edge.  place the ‘feve’* into the mix.
• Carefully lay on the top layer of pastry and pinch the edges together – either with fingers or (looks pretty) by pushing down a fork.  Try to stop the mix from squidging out
• Brush the top with the beaten egg and then lightly score a pattern in the top.

• Cook for 25-30 mins.  In my oven this tends to brown before it is cooked, so once it is an attractive golden colour, protect the top with a piece of baking parchment with a hole in the top (to allow air escape).  One of my recipes says to reduce the heat after 15 mins to 180C

• Remove from oven and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.  Use the paper to slide it onto your serving plate.  If you have managed to seal the edges without any mix oozing out, then you should be able to slide the paper out from underneath – otherwise you might need to cut it away and try not to eat the paper when you serve!

Profitez!

* If you don’t have a feve at home from a previously consumed Galette, you can buy them in the boulangerie.  Don’t forget to ask for the crown when you buy the feve.