Top 5 Galettes des Rois

Top 5 galettes des rois

The Galette des Rois is the traditional recipe for Epiphany. It is actually served every first Sunday of the year or every January 6 and it is one of the festive and gourmet dishes. If initially, it was mainly based on frangipane or apple compote, nowadays, it is available in other more interesting and tastier recipes. Here are the top 5 galettes des rois!

1 - The traditional galette des rois with frangipane

Frangipane is almond cream mixed into pastry cream . More precisely, it is composed of two thirds of almond cream and one third of pastry cream and this is the ingredient that differentiates the galette des rois from the pithiviers. According to history , it takes its name from the Italian surname Frangipani and it originates from the old Franchipane pie or almond cream pies which dates from the mid-17th century.

To prepare a homemade frangipane cream, you must first take care of the pastry cream. Mix 2 egg yolks with 50 g of sugar, 10 g of flour and 10 g of cornstarch. Then, you have to heat 30 cl of milk with a vanilla pod. Then you have to mix everything and heat it until you get a thick cream. Afterwards, you have to remove, film in contact and let cool.

As for the preparation of the almond cream, mix 100 g of butter with 100 g of sugar, 2 whole eggs, 100 g of almonds and a tablespoon of rum. And don't stop until the result is homogeneous. At the end, you have to incorporate 100 g of the pastry cream into this homemade almond cream and voila, the frangipane is ready to be poured between two puff pastry sheets for a delicious galette des rois like Cyril Lignac .

Here, it should be noted that there are variations of frangipane such as homemade chocolate frangipane , butterless frangipane, and vegan frangipane . The homemade chocolate frangipane is a frangipane to which you must add either cocoa powder, melted chocolate, or spread.

Frangipane without butter, on the other hand, is a frangipane prepared with petit-suisse yoghurt or 0% fromage blanc. And finally, the vegan frangipane is a frangipane that does not contain butter, milk or eggs. In fact, these ingredients are replaced by margarine, vegetable milk and almond puree to avoid the use of animal products. And the same goes for the composition of vegan pastry cream , we must favor vegetable milk.

2 – The galette des rois with apple compote

Many people wonder: what is the origin of the epiphany ? Well, it is to know that it is a Christian holiday which celebrates the appearance of Jesus Christ to the Magi. But it also coincides with the end of the winter solstice period. From where it is celebrated at the same time the lengthening of the days. Anyway, the epiphany is a gourmet event during which there is reason to gather around the traditional dessert and this time, it is an easy galette recipe which is the galette des applesauce kings .

The ingredients needed for a recipe for 6 people are 2 puff pastry, an egg yolk, a crown of kings, 400 g of apple compote and a bean.

And why is there a bean in the galette des rois? In the past, the pastry chef hid a real bean (a pulse from the bean family) in the pancake and whoever was lucky enough to find the bean then became King for the day and had the right to give pledges to all those who shared this cake together.

This ingredient was the object of all desires and also symbolizes luck and prosperity. Apart from that, it also guarantees a fair sharing of the galette des rois . Not to mention that it is a lucky charm.

On the utensil side, the preparation of a galette des rois with apple compote requires the use of a paring knife, a mixer, parchment paper , a brush, a cutting board and a baking sheet.

Finally, the preparation steps can be summarized as follows. First, you need to spread the puff pastry on the baking sheet. Then, you have to spread the compote and add the bean. To continue, cover the other puff pastry. Then, brush the milk and egg yolk mixture. This dessert can be eaten hot or cold and there is no harm in accompanying it with tea or coffee.

If you prefer to make your own homemade puff pastry then watch the video below of the traditional puff pastry recipe that you can freeze to make all your other pastries recipes later:

3 - The pistachio galette des rois

More and more cooks are also interested in the pistachio king cake . The reason for this is simple because pistachio is a dry fruit that has many health benefits. It regulates body weight in order to maintain a healthy weight and it helps to fight against anemia and stress. Apart from that, it also improves cardiovascular health, reduces sugars and promotes the elimination of liquids. Finally, the pistachio facilitates sleep and therefore relaxation and rest but above all its taste is inimitable!

To prepare this homemade galette des rois recipe for 8 people, you need 2 puff pastry sheets, 80 g ground almonds, 2 eggs, 30 g pistachio paste, 100 g soft butter, 90 g caster sugar, 20 g of flour and 1 egg yolk. The average preparation time is 20 minutes and the cooking time is 30 minutes.

To start, you have to work the butter handled and the pistachio paste with an electric whisk. Then add the ground almonds , powdered sugar, flour and two eggs. Keep mixing until you get a smooth cream. And at the same time, the oven must be preheated to 240°C.

The next step is to roll out an inverted puff pastry into a pie pan lined with parchment paper . Then, you have to spread the pistachio cream on the bottom of the dough, leaving 1 cm at the edge. Don't forget to push the bean lightly into the cream before rolling out the second puff pastry over the filling. Here, the objective is to make the second dough adhere to the first, so you have to press the edge with wet fingers.

To finish, all that remains is to decorate this original galette des rois before the filling , by drawing stripes on it with the tip of the knife, brushing it with egg yolk using a silicone brush .

4 – The fruit galette des rois

The fruit galettes are also among the most beautiful galettes . They are colorful and aesthetic and they also allow you to vary the taste. Among the best recipes , it is worth mentioning the galette des rois apple orange . This requires as ingredients: 2 puff pastry, 1 orange, 3 apples, 1 lemon, 80 g of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of almond powder, a handful of walnut kernels, a pinch of cinnamon powder, a pinch of powdered nutmeg, an egg yolk and butter.

Then there is the galette des rois with caramelized pears . For this recipe, you will need: 2 puff pastry, 3 pears, 150 g ground almonds, 200 g caster sugar, 160 g soft butter, 3 whole eggs and an egg yolk.

For fans of dried fruit, there is also the galette des rois with pitted prunes , raisins, dried apricots and chopped walnuts. This is to be prepared with 500 g of puff pastry, 80 g of pitted prunes, 80 g of dried apricots, 50 g of raisins, 50 g of chopped walnuts, a quarter of a liter of tea, 60 g of sugar, 60 g ground almonds, 25 g flour, 2 eggs, a tablespoon of starch, a tablespoon of rum, a pinch of powdered vanilla and a bean.

In addition, there is also the galette des rois with banana and coconut . This recipe needs: 2 rolls of puff pastry , 4 bananas, 50 g of sugar, 30 g of butter, 20 g of flour, 20 cl of coconut cream, 10 of milk, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons of juice lemon and a sachet of vanilla sugar.

Finally, the last original recipe to discover is the galette des rois with raspberry . This can bring a little freshness and a tangy note to the plates and it allows you to celebrate the epiphany under the sign of gluttony. For the assembly , you need: 2 puff pastry, a bean, 2 egg yolks, 150 g ground almonds, 80 g sugar, 2 eggs, 50 g heavy cream, 80 g sugar, 50 g of soft butter and 125 g of fresh raspberries.

5 – King cake with chestnut cream

For a traditional and gourmet galette des rois , there is also no harm in trying the chestnut cream galette des rois . It's an easy recipe that appeals to many people thanks to the melting texture of its filling and also its sweet fragrance. In addition, it is ideal to spend a good celebration of the epiphany.

A recipe for 8 people requires: 2 puff pastry sheets, 125 g ground almonds, 100 g tinned chestnut purée, 100 g soft butter, 100 g caster sugar, 1 whole egg, 1 teaspoon of almond extract, a tablespoon of flour and an egg yolk. The average preparation time is 15 minutes and the cooking time is 25 minutes.

To make a successful homemade galette , you must first preheat the oven to 180°C. Then, take a bowl and beat the whole egg with the sugar, soft butter, ground almonds, cream of chestnuts, flour and bitter almond extract.

The next step in the assembly is to unroll the first puff pastry in a pie pan already lined with parchment paper. Then, you have to spread the chestnut cream preparation on the bottom of the dough, leaving 1 cm at the edge. After that, you have to slip the bean into the cream and you have to roll out the second puff pastry on the filling. And before baking, you have to draw stripes on the galette and brush it with egg yolk.

Before closing this guide, it is worth recalling the advice of Christophe Michalak . Yes, advice that will make a galette des rois a success for sure. First, he suggests not making your own puff pastry, explaining that it takes time and know-how. According to him, the ideal is to order a nice puff pastry already ready from a good pastry chef or a good baker.

On the other hand, this pastry chef recommends making your own homemade almond cream . Here, he aims to simplify the task of cooks by leaving aside the homemade frangipane and simply opting for the almond cream. To do this, simply mix softened butter with sugar, ground almonds, eggs, rum and a little cornstarch.

As a final piece of advice, this maestro of sweets recommends plenty of rest. After filling the first disc of puff pastry and filling the second disc, most cooks rush to put their galette in the oven. However, Michalak explains that the dough really needs to rest, otherwise your homemade patty will look like a rugby ball. A rest period of 4 to 5 hours might do the trick. Then, it is also necessary to respect the cooking time.

Of course, it's not just chef Christophe Michalak who has given his opinion on the preparation of galettes des rois, Mercotte and Pierre Hermé have also put forward interesting tips for gourmet and original galettes and also for a stunning epiphany.

As a bonus, here is the recipe for the Galette des Rois au Chocolat from La Grande Epicerie de Paris :

Chocolate Kings Cake:

This original recipe is valid for 2 galettes. The preparation time is 1 hour 30 minutes and its cooking time 1 hour 40 minutes for a resting time of 12 hours. When we love we do not count!

Ingredients for the puff pastry:

• 500g extra fine butter
• 150g flour
• 550g flour (distemper)
• 225g of water
• 10g fine salt

Ingredients for chocolate frangipane:

• 200g whole fresh milk
• 100g caster sugar
• 15g cornstarch
• 15g cocoa powder
• 70g 75% couverture chocolate
• 100g 30% liquid cream
• 25g fresh butter
• 112g ground almonds

Ingredients for the decor topping:

• 120g slivered almonds
• 25g egg white
• 80g caster sugar
• 10g cocoa powder

Decoration and finishing ingredients:

• 1 bean of your choice
• 25g whole almonds
• 1 bar of dark chocolate (shavings)
• 100g syrup
• QS icing sugar

The Puff Pastry Recipe:

Prepare the tourage butter by mixing with the beater with the sheet, the softened butter and the 150g of flour. Shape into a square between 2 sheets of parchment paper and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Prepare the tempera by mixing the 550g of flour, the salt and the water with a mixer with the hook. As soon as the ingredients are agglomerated and form a ball of dough, stop kneading. Shape into a rectangle and leave to rest for 3 hours.

To make the puff pastry, wrap the pastry tempera around the square of butter. Give 1 single turn and 1 double turn. Leave to rest for 3 hours. Give 1 single turn and 1 double turn. Leave to rest for 3 hours.

Roll out the dough to about 2mm thick and cut out 4 circles of 22cm (2 per pancake) and 2 circles of 20cm to about 1.5mm thick, pricked with a fork, for decoration (one per pancake). Reserve in the refrigerator.

The Chocolate Frangipane Recipe:

In a saucepan, heat the milk.

Sift the cocoa powder, cornstarch and sugar together. Then, in a mixing bowl, mix everything together with the cold liquid cream.

Once the milk is hot, pour it into the bowl, mix and put back in the saucepan without stopping stirring until the first broth. At the end of cooking, mix with the melted couverture chocolate and the butter. Then pour the ground almonds into the mixture.

Remove to a salad bowl, film in contact and place in the fridge.

The Assembly of the Chocolate Galette:

Take 2 circles of 22cm, moisten with a silicone brush the edges of the puff pastry, then garnish with 300g of chocolate frangipane cream. Place the bean of the kings . Place the 2nd disc of puff pastry to cover the frangipane. Solder the 2 circles of puff pastry with your fingertips. With a silicone brush and an egg yolk, brown the pancake then make a grid striping with a small knife. Reserve in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes at 180°C.

The Garnish of the Decor:

In a mixing bowl, pour the slivered almonds, sugar and cocoa powder. Mix everything together then add the egg white. Sprinkle everything on a baking sheet covered with a sheet of baking paper. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes at 160°C. Book.

The Assembly of the Decoration:

Take the 20cm disc of puff pastry, put it between two sheets of baking paper and two baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes at 180°C.

Once the disc of the decoration is cooked, brush it with the syrup then cover it with the filling of the decoration of the galette. Take the cooked galette, brush it with the syrup then place the disc of the decoration on top of the galette. Put in the oven for 5min at 180°C to stick the whole thing together.

The Finish of the Cake:

When the galette is completely cooled, prepare large shavings of chocolate then sprinkle them on the galette. With a strainer, sprinkle lightly with icing sugar then place the almonds all over.

Your last original chocolate galette is finally ready to be tasted!

Do it yourself :

Now you have no more excuses to make your homemade cake this year. Order your galette material and you will make big savings with each epiphany. In addition, your original cakes made by yourself will not be on sale in any bakery or pastry shop, so many customization possibilities are available.

Some contemporary pastry chefs like Christophe Michalak use another dough base for their 2 galette discs which can be in sweet dough or shortbread dough. You will find all our other pastry dough recipes in this other article.

Click on the image below to discover the essential utensils and equipment for successful recipes for galettes des rois and other pastries: