Galette Des Rois Part 1: Pastry And Filling Preparation Recipe Video

Puff Pastry:
• Melt the butter
• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, melted butter, vinegar and water.
• With you fingers, mix well and work the dough with your palm until dough starts to get firm.
• Roll dough into a ball. Cut a cross into the top to break the elasticity.
• Wrap dough in plastic - chill for 2 hours.
• Place sheet (12” wide) of parchment paper on counter and dust with flour.
• Place 3-½ sticks of butter side-by-side on parchment paper and dust with flour.
• Place sheet of parchment paper on top and with a rolling pin, pound the butter until it is flattened - ½” thick.
• Remove paper on top, fold left edge over right edge, replace paper on top, pound the butter – repeat three times.
• With your hands, shape butter package into a 6” square.
• Wrap butter in plastic film - chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
• Dust the counter with flour.
• Roll out the ball of dough like a four leaf clover with a 6” center - do not touch the center.
• Place the butter package in the center - making sure the four leaves are big enough to cover the butter.
• Fold the leaves of dough over the butter package so it is totally enclosed and press with your hands to seal - chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Dust the counter with flour and gently roll out the dough into a rectangle (9” x 18”). Be careful - do not press on the edges with the rolling pin - keep corners square using your hands or a scraper
• First Turn – fold dough over into 1/3rds. First, fold the top edge of the dough forward and over 1/3rd - like a piece of paper – and then fold the bottom edge of the dough back and over the remaining dough – this is the First Turn
• Second Turn – rotate dough a quarter turn and again gently roll the dough away from you into a large rectangle (9” x 18”). Again, fold the top of the dough over by 1/3rd and the bottom of the dough over by 1/3rd - this is the Second Turn
• Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Third & Fourth Turns - remove dough from refrigerator - make 2 more turns by repeating First & Second Turns, wrap dough, chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Fifth & Sixth Turns - an hour later, remove dough from refrigerator - make 2 more turns - you will have completed 6 turns. Wrap puff pastry in parchment paper or plastic – chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before using (can be refrigerated up to 3 days or freeze).


Pastry Cream:
• Place egg yolks into a mixer bowl, add 1/2 of sugar and mix on high speed until pale and holds to spoon - add flour - mix well.
• Pour milk in saucepan with remaining sugar and vanilla and bring to a boil.
• Pour ½ of milk from saucepan into the mixer bowl and mix until smooth.
• Pour all ingredients from mixer bowl into saucepan with the rest of the milk – 5. Cook over low heat and keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes - until thickened.
• Transfer into a mixing bowl, cover with plastic - pressing down directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
• Cool down to room temperature before placing in refrigerator.
• Chill for 2 to 3 hours (better if made 1 day before).


Almond cream:
• Add butter, sugar, almonds, flour, eggs (one by one), add dark rum, mix well (optional).
• Pour into mixing bowl and chill in refrigerator for minimum of 2 hours.

Directions for preparing the galette des rois:

• Combine almond cream (1-½ cups) with pastry cream (1/3rd cup).
• Cut puff pastry into 2 parts – base and top - base is slightly smaller.
• Make the base. Roll out the smaller piece into a circle. Transfer onto a baking sheet.
• Next, roll out the top into a circle- same way as the base but slightly larger– set aside.
• Spoon the cream mixture onto the center of the base circle and spread evenly within two inches of the edge.
• Brush edges with egg wash.
• Place the top circle on top of cream mixture – firmly press together the edges of the two circles so they are well sealed - chill for 30 minutes.
• Press down a round baking dish, pan or plate over the top of the Galette to mark a circle two inches inside the edge. With a sharp knife make a scallop shape border by cutting the extra dough form the edge – remove the plate.
• For decoration, make curved lines like a pinwheel in the top of the Galette with a paring knife – start from the center.
• Brush top with egg wash.
• Preheat oven 450 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and dust top with powdered sugar and bake for 5 more minutes.
• Let cool down for an hour.
• Serve!

For more information please visit: http://www.easymacuisine.com