Recipes
Almond tart for kings and queens
A cake eaten in France to celebrate the biblical Three Kings
February 27, 2015 10:48
By
Fabienne Viner Luzzato
1 min read
A cake eaten in France to celebrate the biblical Three Kings
February 27, 2015 10:48By
Fabienne Viner Luzzato
La Galette des Rois - a delicious puff pastry tart filled with a beautifully tasty almond cream filling - is a traditional Christian cake eaten in France on January 6 to celebrate the biblical Three Kings.
A tiny ceramic ornament is baked inside the cake and whoever finds it in their piece becomes the king or queen. We usually discretely allot the piece of cake with the object in to a child - making sure they don't swallow it or break a tooth.
I have transformed this tradition into a Jewish Purim king or queen cake. I also ensure all children around the table become queen and king by hiding an ornament for every piece! If you cannot find any small ceramic objects that wouldn't melt in the oven, you could buy little sugar icing ornaments and hide them in it just before serving.
Ingredients
● 450g ready-made puff pastry
● 2 tbsp apricot or plum jam
● 50g softened butter
● 50ml double cream
● 100g caster sugar
● 1 beaten egg plus one yolk
● 100g ground almonds
● 100g flaked almonds
● Seeds of one vanilla pod
Method
● Heat the oven to 200°C.
● Line a 25 cm round oven tart or pie dish with baking parchment.
● Divide the pastry into two halves. Cut each piece into a 25 cm round approximately 2 mm thick.
● Line the pie dish with one and spread it with the jam.
● Beat the butter, double cream and caster sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg.
● Stir in the ground almonds, 50g of the flaked almonds and the vanilla seeds. Spread the mixture evenly over the jam.
● Top with the second piece of puff pastry, pressing the edges together to seal.
● Decorate the surface with a zig-zag pattern using a knife, then brush it with the beaten egg yolk. Top with the remaining flaked almonds.
● Bake for 30-45 mins until crisp and golden.
● Serve warm or cold.
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