A Prune, Coffee, and Almond Galette Des Rois

Happy Tuesday! In three short weeks it will be Mardi Gras, which means I really need to get working on my costume. It also means there are only three more weeks to enjoy a king cake. In New Orleans, it’s commonly accepted that eating king cakes out of season is bad manners at best, and bad luck at worst, and I for one will be taking no chances (not this year!). It’s why I only market my king cake class during the season - best not to tempt people to indulge after Fat Tuesday, for all our sakes. This week I’m bringing you a recipe for king cake’s older, chicer cousin: galette des rois, the cake of kings. You can make it with store-bought puff pastry, and it’s honestly so easy and impressive-looking!

Before we dive into the recipe, I wanted to talk about something very near and dear to me: the current campaign against trans and queer people, and the broader attacks on federal workers in the US. I know many of us, regardless of where we live, are profoundly concerned about the avalanche of executive orders coming from the White House. If you live in the States, I would like to ask you to make time in your day to contact your reps and let them know that you expect them to protect federal workers, and that we must preserve access to trans healthcare and protect the rights of queer kids in schools.

I won’t pretend I’m not scared (and wishing I had the foresight to marry my wife in a state that has enshrined same-sex marriage into the constitution, unlike Louisiana, which still has a gay marriage ban on the books). I also feel a profound certainty that I deserve to live safely and comfortably here in the south, my home, my favorite place.

That being said, in addition to lightly bullying my Republican senators, I’ve been engaging in massive amounts of my own personal favorite brand of escapism: inhaling Edwardian detective novels like there’s no tomorrow. I’m nearly done with Dorothy Sayers and am actively seeking recommendations for more, so do reach out if you have any favorites!

The following recipe is sponsored by my pals at California Prunes!

I adore a New Orleans-style king cake (and always will), but I leapt at the chance to develop a recipe for its fancier French cousin, the galette des rois. Last year the talented baker Melisa Spence made a prune butter galette with benne seed frangipane, and it sounded so good I needed to try my own hand at it. The prune espresso butter here is inspired by the the classic flavor combination, and I paired it with almond frangipane as a nod to the French tradition.

Traditionally an almond or a coin is hidden inside the galette des rois, and the lucky recipient becomes the king for the day. These days I typically slip my fève under the slice rather than hiding it within, for safety’s sake. I’m the lucky recipient of handmade ceramic beans from the brilliant Michelle Marek, which feel almost too precious for me to use.

Whether you celebrate with a galette des rois, a king cake, bolo-rei, or a rosca de reyes, I hope you have a happy and safe Mardi Gras season.

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Prune, Coffee, and Almond Galette des Rois

Note: you can certainly make your own rough puff pastry if you wish - I did, and I adore the results I got from making Natasha Pickowicz’ rough puff recipe from her debut cookbook More than Cake. However, store bought puff works perfectly well too, and certainly makes this more weeknight-friendly. If you do make your own, you’ll need about a pound.

Both the prune butter and the almond frangipane can be made ahead. You will need to bring the frangipane to room temperature before using.

You’re welcome to omit the espresso powder! I like the subtle earthiness it brings but I enjoy it either way. I’d avoid substituting all of the water for coffee - I found it to be a little strong when I tried that avenue myself.

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Ingredients:

2 sheets store-bought puff pastry (or homemade, see note)

For the prune butter:

170 grams / ¾ cup (packed) prunes

160 grams / ⅔ cup water

40 grams / 3 tbsp brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder

Large pinch salt

For the almond frangipane:

85 grams / 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

75 grams / ¼ + 2 tbsp granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

64 grams egg whites (from two eggs)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

60 grams / ½ cup almond flour (or finely ground blanched almonds)

10 grams / 1 tbsp + 1 tsp all purpose flour

For the egg wash:

36 grams egg yolk (from two eggs)

A dash of cream or half-and-half

First, make the prune-coffee butter. Combine the prunes, water, brown sugar, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt in a medium non-reactive pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and espresso powder are fully dissolved. Continue to cook for about five minutes, until the prunes are meltingly soft, and remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool before tipping it into a small blender or food processor and pureeing it until very smooth. Set aside in the fridge to firm up a little.

Then, make the almond frangipane. Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer). Cream together until the mixture has lightened a little, about three minutes. Add the egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract and continue to mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the almond flour and mix, followed by the all purpose flour. Scrape into a small dish and set aside at room temperature.

To make the egg wash, simply stir the remaining egg yolks from the frangipane into a little cream, half-and-half, or water.

To assemble:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.

If using store-bought puff pastry, follow the instructions on the box to defrost, and keep very cold before rolling out. Roll out each sheet into about an eleven-inch circle. You can use a round of parchment paper as a template to help you cut. Slip each round of puff pastry onto a sheet tray and pop them in the refrigerator to get nice and cold before proceeding.

Take one puff pastry round out and place it on your prepared sheet tray. Brush the edge with a little egg wash and spread the interior with the prune butter, leaving a one-inch border around the edge. Place the tray in your freezer for five minutes to allow the prune butter to firm up.

Remove the tray from the freezer and spread the almond frangipane over the prune butter, remembering to leave the one-inch border around the edge. You can also pipe it, which makes it a little easier not to disturb the prune butter.

Take out the second puff pastry round and carefully place it on top of the bottom layer. Press your fingers into the border to seal. Using the tines of a fork, crimp the border to further seal the galette. Place the whole thing back in the freezer for ten minutes to get very cold.

Remove the galette from the freezer and brush the top with the egg wash. Using a very sharp knife, slice a few decorative vents in the top. Place it in the oven. Bake for twenty minutes before rotating, and continue to bake for another ten minutes. Remove the galette from the oven when it is a deep golden brown (this may take longer in your oven - use the color of the galette to judge). If you have a cooling rack, carefully transfer the galette to the rack using the parchment paper as a sling, and then wiggle the parchment paper out from under - this will keep the bottom crisp.

The galette will keep for up to three days at room temperature. You can also freeze it, unbaked, for several weeks and bake it from frozen.