OK class, today we will have a lesson in religion. January 6th is known as Epiphany, a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of Jesus of Nazareth as the living Son of God on earth. Over the centuries the specific events which testify to this revelation have varied a lot but for today’s Western Christians, the feast primarily commemorates the coming of the Magi, with only a minor reference to the baptism of Jesus and the miracle at the Wedding at Cana.
And of course, in some parts of the world, a dessert had to be created to celebrate this revelation. In parts of France people have traditionally prepared a Galettes des Rois, a cake consisting of puff pastry with almond cream (frangipane) to their celebrations. It is reminiscent of the King Cake found in the American Southern States that celebrate Mardi Gras. Hidden inside the cake you will find a trinket (usually a porcelain figurine) or a dry bean. The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket becomes the king/queen for the day and will have to offer the next cake. The analogy of the king refers to the three kings drawn to visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Often a paper crown accompanies the cake which is placed on the chosen king/queen.
I am not a religious person but by pure coincidence I happened to host a dinner at my place with a few friends on the evening of January 6th so of course I had to make a Galettes des Rois for the fun of it. Without a small porcelain figurine or dry bean in sight I opted for a small button. The crown took the form of a tiara with pink marabou which I happened to have lying around (don’t ask). And since I had a hankering for pistachios this was my nut of choice for the frangipane. Hey traditions only survive with the addition of modern twists!
For my filling I adapted a recipe found on Pham Fatale. Since we were only 4 at the dinner table I made the galettes small enough to ensure there would be no leftovers should the trinket not be found on the first round. If you buy a package of frozen puff pastry this recipe will make 2 galettes of 5 to 6 servings each. You could just make 1 bigger galette, in that case roll you disks out to 12 inches.
Ξ Pistachio Galettes des RoisΞ
5 ounces roasted, unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled
2 eggs, at room temperature
10 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
4 x 9 inch disks of puff pastry (1 package of frozen puff pastry 397 gr/14 oz)
Directions:
Place the pistachios in a blender, a food processor or spice grinder and process them until you have a coarse crumbs. Make sure you stop before it turns into nut butter.
Using a handheld mixer, whisk the eggs and 5 tablespoons of sugar for about about 5-6 minutes, until the eggs are a pale yellow and very airy.
Cream the butter with 5 tablespoons of sugar, the salt and vanilla extract. Pour in the egg mixture and the ground pistachios. Gently mix until the batter is smooth.
Using a fork, beat the egg yolk with a tablespoon of milk. Use as your egg wash as described below. Place 2 disks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lay half the pistachio frangipane on each puff pastry disk, leaving a 1 inch ring of pastry. Brush the ring with the egg wash and place the remaining disks on top. Press the perimeter very tightly together. Using a knife, make decorative cuts on the top disks and brush with egg wash.
Refrigerate the galettes for an one hour. If you skip this step your filling may end up leaking out of the disks while baking (which happened to me). Preheat the oven to 400F, bake 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden.
And in case you are wondering who was the lucky trinket finder this year. It was me! Yep I have the button in my mouth.
I’m going to have to make this for my dad! He’s a pistachio nut. 😛
That looks amazing! I love pistachios and I have never made a galette des rois, so I need to mark this on my calendar/to-do list for next year. i am terrible at doing things on time, so I’ll probably make it a week late. Hope 2012 is treating you well so far!
I really wanted to make this for the Epiphany, but never got around to it! You’re goooood 🙂 And this looks great!
Very creative. I’m always interested in how a holiday is celebrated around the world. According to history, it actually took the magi several months to get there, thus, there is good reason for the delay after Christmas to celebrate.
What a delightful version…this looks fantastic! I am all for any tradition that involves food, and fun with food, even better 🙂
j’aime bien cette version pistache Bravo à toi !!pierre
Lucky you to find the prize! My mom used to hide something in our King’s cake on Epiphany…I think it was a bean. Your crust looks so flaky and wonderful…and such a decadent, nutty filling! Hope you’re having an excellent weekend, my friend!
Very interesting post and the dish looks perfect. There is an award for you waiting to be collected, on my blog. http://easyfoodsmith.blogspot.com/
I enjoyed your cultural talk today. I wasn’t familiar with Epiphanys although I heard of it before, but not in details. I am not sure if I had galettes before. I’ll remember your version when I finally have a piece!
You always find such creative things to make and write about. That’s what makes your blog so unique. You’re a great teacher!
Looks so good! I love pistachios! We ended up celebrating the Epiphany twice, with different people, but fortunately the galettes were very different. I wouldn’t mind a slice of yours, too!
Religious or not, I don’t think anyone would say no to a lovely party and lovely desserts like these!:D
Luckily the queen didn’t need dental treatment!:)
Looks and sounds delicious (the galettes, not the button!)
The story behind the pink tiara is here 🙂
http://cultureatz.com/
Well I’m going to ask anyways, what’s the story behind the pink tiara. 😛
I grew up eating Galette des Rois… and this version with pistachios sounds heavenly! Congrats on being the queen of the day – well deserved after baking such a lovely galette!
Ah, well, I am neither Christian nor religious but I’ll tell you what I am: a fan of traditions that involve food!!! Very interesting cake, I am more familiar with the New Orleans style one, but I really like your choice of pistachio, and the top is so pretty. Cute photo!!
Ev, you make the best dishes, sweet and savory, and always so unique. You know my penchant for pistachios over the years..I would devour this! Pistachio frangipane makes me swoon! Congrats on finding the trinket! You look adorable with it in your mouth! 🙂 Also, orange grown up hot chocolate? HELLO!! You should enter it in the #citruslove bloghop! You can do it via the linky in my post!