Saturday, January 5, 2013

Galette des Rois


Galette des Rois
"King's Cake"


Tomorrow is Epiphany, January 6th, and every pâtisserie in Paris will have these delicious puff-pastry almond and butter cakes.  It makes my mouth water just to think about it.

Each cake contains a fève, a small porcelain figurine and the lucky person who finds it will wear the crown.  Where I live in the US, we have the cakes but they are nothing close to the French version.  We bake our own.  Our tradition says that the one who finds "the baby" (plastic) is the King and will host the next party.


I will put a real French fève in my Galette des Rois.


Galette des Rois
Boulangerie on Ile St Louis
75004, Paris
 
 

22 comments:

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

My mouth is watering too!
Hope you're enjoying your weekend..

Alain said...

Le prix montre bien que c'est un gâteau de rois. (Le nom de la ville de Sète n'a cette orthographe que depuis 1927, avant, on écrivait "Cette")

Joe said...

Pity the Concord is no longer in the air otherwise I'd be their in 24 hours just for one of these.

Revrunner said...

A lovely tradition. I may go in search for one today since I doubt my own pastry-making abilities. :-)

biebkriebels said...

It looks delicious, but it is very expensive too.

Amanda said...

I really miss eating these galettes des rois.

M said...

If I supply the fève, will you bake me a cake? :)

brattcat said...

yummmm, i wonder if our local bakeries will be producing these king's cakes.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Hmm I'm wondering like Brattcat also if one of the many French patisseries in Perth will be making Galette des Rois. It seems we have the same thing on our minds today Genie..and looking back I cannot believe that I have not wished you a happy New Year yet,je suis tres désolé, I hope that 2013 is everything that you want it to be.

VenetiaMicio said...

Miam ! Miam !
Happy New Year Genie and many good things and happiness for you and your family.
Danielle

TheChieftess said...

Yummmm!!! Nothing beats breads and pastries in Paris...or Europe!!! Even our (US) best bakeries tend to lack the panache!!!

Cezar and Léia said...

difficult choices looks so delicious!
Léia

Birdman said...

Then, it's official. I can take my tree down.

genie said...

I wold die for the "real" thing in Paris. Genie...I cannot believe it. BA in 1959 and MEd in 1963. That was long before your time. I think our old Harris Hall was gone by that time. My Gene married a girl whose mother graduated from Emory at the same time as I did but we did not know each other. AND I have just touched bases with one of my old boyfriends who was an SAE. IT really is a small world. I still wear my blue sweatshirt when it gets cold. I loved that school. I am so tickled you shared this with me. I guess we Genie's are something special especially we attended such a special university. Happy New Yea, gal. the other genie

Sketchbook Wandering said...

Years ago in my city we had a January dance where a bean was baked into a cake. (based on British tradition perhaps?) The one who got the bean & their partner became the King & Queen of the Bean & sat on thrones with crowns on, watching the dances (contra dances, folk style...) The Galettes des Rois look scrumptious in your photo!

Mary said...

Yummy! Almond and butter and puff pastry. My mouth is watering too, and what a beautiful tradition!

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Rita, I love hearing about the traditions surrounding the galette and the crowning of kings. As a French speaker you know that the fève was originally a bean as the name implies.

Genie, how odd that we attended the same university but at different times. Oh, and Harris Hall is where I lived as a freshman so it was still standing when I was there.

Birdman, you definitely may remove your tree!

Grace, I think that Perth bakeries will have a galette des rois... Please report back. Wishing you a joyous 2013 as wel, ma chère amie!

Nadege, M, and bieb, on Monday I will give you a recipe to make your own with a short-cut.

Bon weekend to all!

Bises,
Genie

Starman said...

Jennie got Popeye in her galette des rois in France!

Louise said...

I really must get to try one of these one time! They look magnificent.

Vreni said...

I´ve never eaten a galette des rois :-(

Sara Louise said...

We had ours early, on New Year's Day because my husband's 90 year old step-grandmother wanted it and we weren't exactly going to argue with her. My husband got the feve and was crowned king for the day!

miss b said...

This is a tradition I love and I still remember my excitement having the fève and wearing the crown. This was several years ago when I lived in France for a year. Happy Memories! So pleased to have stumbled across your lovely blog and delighted to be following now.
http://missbbobochic.blogspot.co.uk/