King Cake

The King Cake is a puff pastry confection served on Epiphany to commemorate the Three Kings’ arrival at the stable where Jesus was born. As the Christmas carol reminds us, they followed a star to find the way, bringing rare and symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In New Orleans it’s iced in three colors: purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power). Elsewhere, simplicity generally prevails with a bit of sugar and a sprinkle of gold nonpareils.

And as with any food, pastry, or beverage with such religious and cultural underpinnings, its part in yearly rituals such as the festivities during Mardi Gras is a reminder of how food connects us to traditions, nurtures faith, and by design is meant for sharing. The cake is cut and distributed among guests. A tiny plastic baby, once made of porcelain, hides in one slice. The lucky person to find the baby in their slice is king for a day, and as is the custom, obliged to host the next gathering where a new King Cake is served.

We whipped up this delicious King Cake for TABLE readers. The recipe is online. We hope you’ll bake it as a delicious way to close out this holiday season, and that happy memories make even more scrumptious.

**Epiphany Cake (Galette de Roi)**

We preferred Pepperidge Farm puff pastry because it includes two large sheets of pastry, from which we could easily cut two circles. If you buy a brand that contains less than 17 ounces, or only comes as one sheet, you may roll out or reshape the dough. Be sure to chill the dough frequently if doing this, as it quickly softens and becomes difficult to work with and also needs a long rest after being worked.

For the almond filling:

1 ½ cups slivered almonds

¾ cup (150 g) sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

⅛ tsp salt

1 large egg + 1 large white (reserve the yolk for the glaze)

1 tsp almond extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 (17 oz) package of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight

For the glaze:

1 egg yolk

1 tsp milk

1. To make the almond filling, combine the almonds, sugar, flour, and salt in a food processor and process until they are very finely ground. Add the egg and egg white, almond and vanilla extracts; process until combined, about 10 seconds. Add butter and process until no lumps remain, about 10 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula and process to combine thoroughly, about 10 seconds longer. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On lightly floured surface, lay both sheets of puff pastry and cut a 9-inch circle out of each one. Transfer them to the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the dough and almond filling from the refrigerator. Slide one circle of dough from the pan so that there is only one circle of dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the almond filling over the center of the dough, leaving a 1-inch exposed border.

5. Brush water generously around the exposed perimeter of the dough then place the second circle of dough on top and press down to seal the edges very well, then flute the sides of the galette.

6. Make the glaze by whisking the egg yolk and milk together and then brush it evenly over the top. Use a paring knife to lightly score a design on the top and then poke 4-5 holes all the way through the dough to allow steam to escape.

7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the galette is well browned on top and up the sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Story by Gabe Gomez / Food and recipe by Erica Bruce / Photography by Dave Bryce / Baccarat champagne coupes courtesy of Glassworks