Skip to main content

The King of cakes

Guest post by Read_and_dream

In France there is a tradition come Epiphany to eat a galette des rois, a "king cake", in which to commemorate the visit of the magi. Nowadays this is a lot more commercial than religious, just like Christmas presents and Easter eggs, and for the whole month of January, and well into February, the delicious almondy cakes are proudly displayed in every boulangerie, with a fève hidden inside.  Fève literally means "broad bean", but nowadays constitutes a little porcelain figurine, often a character from a recent film, or occasionally a religious figure.  The tradition goes that the youngest person present for the eating of the cake has to sit under the table and decide in which order the slices are distributed, in order to avoid cheating. The person who ends up with the fève becomes king or queen, gets to wear a paper crown, and supposedly order everyone around for the rest of the day. The galette is surprisingly easy to make (if you buy ready-made puff pastry), and we used French Guy Cooking's youtube video to guide us (see below for link). While it could have perhaps done with a bit longer in the oven, and a bit more egg glaze to get the traditional burnished look, it came out looking (and tasting) pretty good, if I do say so myself. In our case we didn't have a fève, so we used a 10 cent piece (cleaned first in boiling water), and Martin was the lucky winner, thus getting to select which film we watched that evening.

Here is the recipe that we used:


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tea with a ghost? | Tiny Tim's Tearoom | Canterbury

Canterbury is such a historic city so I was looking for a traditional place for afternoon tea. Tiny Tim's Tearoom was the perfect place. Housed in a gorgeous 17th century building, this tearoom is particularly inviting with its baked goods displayed in the shop windows. Inside, Glen Miller was playing softly in the background, giving the place a nostalgic, vintage feel. Many British favourites were on offer, such as, crumpets, scones and hearty sponge cakes. I had an excellent coffee and walnut cake which had a wonderfully potent coffee flavour unlike many shop-bought ones. Served with a dollop of cream, ice cream or custard, these cakes are the ultimate comfort food. Tea is also in abundance. I tried Keemun Orchid which was a black tea that had notes of plum, orchid, sesame and pine. There are also more traditional blends for those who prefer more conventional tea. I attended this tearoom alone after a pleasant morning visiting Canterbury Cathedral. However, was I t...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Apple Pie Map | Hirosaki, Aomori

Are you a fan of apple pie? If you are, then Hirosaki might just be the place for you! Hirosaki is in Aomori, a prefecture in the Tohoku region in the north of Japan. Aomori is famous for its delicious apples, and nowhere is this fruit more greatly celebrated than in the city of Hirosaki. There are over 50 shops in the town selling different types of apple pie. With so many options, it can seem overwhelming. How can you possibly find the perfect pie for you?! Well, the answer is simple. All you need is the Apple pie map !  Not only does the map tell you all the different locations for pie shops and bakeries, it also rates each pie on its sweetness, sourness and amount of cinnamon. My personal favourite is  スリーブリッヂ or Three Bridge, a cute little bakery near Hirosaki station. Their pie is rated 3/5 for sweetness and sourness. But don't take my word for it, head to Hirosaki and do your own research! There's plenty of pies to enjoy and beautiful sites ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gruesome Marshmallow Eyeballs | Halloween

Marshmallow eyeballs make a fun treat for Halloween next week. They are super easy to make as there is no cooking involved. I made a whole load while watching TV! Ingredients 1 packet of Marshmallows 1 packet of Maltesers  Red and green writing icing  Method 1. Use a chopstick to make a hole in the marshmallow. 2. Widen the hole with your fingers and add in a malteser. 3. Ice a dot in the middle of the malteser for the eye's iris and use red icing on the marshmallows to look like veins. It really is that easy!
Post a Comment
Read more