{"id":1232,"date":"2011-01-06T18:35:18","date_gmt":"2011-01-07T02:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/?p=1232"},"modified":"2012-04-02T11:56:37","modified_gmt":"2012-04-02T18:56:37","slug":"a-paper-crown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/engine\/a-paper-crown","title":{"rendered":"a paper crown"},"content":{"rendered":"

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a paper crown<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For Christians January 6 signifies <\/span><\/span>l\u2019\u00e9piphanie <\/span><\/em>(the Epiphany).\u00a0 The Epiphany is the twelfth day after the birth of Jesus; the day the three Magi found the baby in Bethlehem and bestowed upon him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.\u00a0 In France, the Epiphany is celebrated with<\/span> la galette des rois<\/span> <\/span><\/em>(also known as the \u201ctwelfth night cake\u201d or simply \u201cking cake\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>La galette des rois<\/span> <\/span><\/em>consists of two layers of puff pastry with a frangipane (almond cream) filling.\u00a0 It is garnished with a paper gold crown.\u00a0 What makes the cake special; however, is the trinket,<\/span> la f\u00e8ve <\/span><\/em>(a fava or broad bean), that is hidden inside.\u00a0 Tradition dictates that the person who\u2019s slice contains <\/span>la f\u00e8ve<\/span> <\/span><\/em>is crowned king or queen for the day and gets to wear the crown.\u00a0 To ensure that the distribution of<\/span> la f\u00e8ve<\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/span>is completely random, the youngest person present goes under the table and calls out the order of the cake recipients.\u00a0 An extra piece of the cake is sliced, <\/span>“la part du pauvre<\/span>“<\/span><\/em> (the poor man\u2019s share), should anyone of lesser financial means happen to stop by the house.\u00a0 Today the tradition of <\/span>la galette des rois<\/span> <\/span><\/em>extends beyond the religious context and the cake is sold and enjoyed in January generally, not just on January 6.<\/span><\/p>\n

For me<\/span>, la galette de rois<\/span>, <\/span><\/em>takes a very personal significance as well.\u00a0 Three years ago to the day an ICU nurse<\/span> gave me her crown (she had found la f\u00e8ve)<\/span><\/em>. \u00a0 I still have it and the crown reminds me of how fleeting and precious life is. \u00a0This year my New Year\u2019s resolution is the same that is has been for the last two years:\u00a0 to eat a piece of <\/span><\/span>la galette des rois <\/span><\/em> because I know that the ability to look down at the crown on the cake and enjoy a piece with those you love is like finding la f\u00e8ve<\/span><\/em> every day.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week\u2019s simple pleasure is <\/span><\/span>la galette des rois<\/span>.<\/span><\/em> It is very simple to make and a fun tradition.\u00a0 The active recipe time is about 20 minutes.\u00a0 Nuts are decisive: you either like them in dessert or you do not. \u00a0If you like almonds, you will love this cake. However, if you are a person who is not crazy about almonds, you can replace the almond extract with vanilla extract or another extract such as orange.\u00a0 You can also minimize the almond flavor by adding melted chocolate to the almond cream or mixing in a little strawberry jam with rose water.\u00a0 However, do not add too much moisture (maxiumum of 2-3 ounces) or you will have soggy puff pastry.\u00a0 With respect to the crown, you can buy the gold crowns at speciality stores or on the internet; however, you can easily make one of your own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Forget the diet.\u00a0 This week<\/span> let’s all <\/span><\/span><\/em>eat a piece of cake. <\/span><\/span>Je vous souhaite un bon app\u00e9tit !<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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LM<\/span><\/p>\n

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la galette des rois<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

stats<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

makes \u00a0one 9\u201d\u00a0 inch cake<\/span><\/p>\n

what you need<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

shell<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2 sheets puff pastry
\n<\/span>1 dried bean (or nut)<\/span><\/p>\n

frangipane filling<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

7 1\/2 ounces blanched silvered raw almonds
\n<\/span>3 ounces granulated sugar
\n<\/span>1\/2 teaspoon kosher salt
\n<\/span>2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
\n<\/span>2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
\n<\/span>1 egg
\n<\/span>1 egg white
\n<\/span>1 teaspoon vanilla extract
\n<\/span>1 teaspoon almond extract (or 1\/2 flavored extract)
\n<\/span>1\/2 teaspoon citrus zest (orange or lemon)
\n<\/span>1 egg, mixed (for egg wash)<\/span><\/p>\n

garnish<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

one paper crown<\/span><\/p>\n

how to<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

make frangipane<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n