Galette des Rois (King Cake) is a dessert traditionally eaten on 6 January to celebrate l'épiphanie (the Epiphany), the day when the three wise men (or Kings of the Orient) Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar visited baby Jesus in Bethlehem bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The galette is, of course, available before the actual celebration date, so there is plenty of opportunity to get your hands on one in Paris and you will see them everywhere in bakery windows and supermakets. The ones in the bakeries or Boulangerie's look much better. They are basically a layer of puff pastry with a centre filled with almond cream (butter, sugar, eggs and ground almonds) covered with another layer of puff pastry, basted with eggwash twice, decorated and baked. As it comes out of the oven it is brushed with a syrup made of sugar and water .... d i v i n e.
Another tradition surround Galette des Rois is that hidden somewhere inside is la fève (traditionally a dried fava been, but nowadays a small porcelain figure - which I'm sure most people prefer ... except maybe Hannibal Lecter). The youngest person in the house decides who gets which slice, in the hope that it will really be them. The person who gets la fève is pronounced King or Queen and gets to wear the golden crown that comes with the galette and choose a Queen or King for himself or herself.
You will find that most adoring fathers or mothers will try and work out where la fève is so that no child is disappointed!!
Of the three galettes I've participated in eating, my nephew has had la fève each time .....and it has been complete luck.
His last one came in the galette I made at Le Cordon Bleu and is sitting on his desk where I am typing at the moment.
This is a tradition I will definitely take home with me.
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