It is my third time making the traditional French pastry, galette des rois, to kick off the new year. You can see my first version and read a bit more about the pastry here. For the filling, I adapted the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook’s classic almond frangipane recipe to make a pistachio version.
The quantities were scaled down from larger batch recipes in the book in order to fit this pastry. The recipe looks quite long but if you prep the components ahead of time, it’s not too daunting. Here is my how-to video for assembling the galette.
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Galette des Rois with Pistachio Frangipane
Adapted from the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook
Makes a 9″ galette
Ingredients:
2 sheets store-bought puff pastry, thawed (I recommend Dufour)
Pastry Cream:
1 large (16g) egg yolk
15g granulated sugar
12g all-purpose flour
90g whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
5g unsalted butter, room temperature
Pistachio Cream:
55g raw, unsalted pistachios, shelled
6g all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
55g confectioners’ sugar
55g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon zest
33g eggs
2 tablespoons jam, apricot, raspberry or strawberry would pair nicely
Egg Wash:
1 egg + 1 tablespoon whole milk, beaten until combined
Simple Syrup:
50g each granulated sugar + water, heated until sugar is dissolved
Directions:
For the puff pastry:
Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry 1/4″ thick. Using a cake pan as your guide, cut the dough into a 9″ round. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry. Transfer the rounds to a sheet pan and chill in the fridge until cold. Meanwhile, work on the pistachio frangipane.
Pastry cream:
Set up an ice bath. Place a medium bowl over a bowl of ice water and set a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl.
Place the egg yolk and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until thick and pale yellow in color, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the flour and mix until combined. Slowly pour in the milk, mixing as you go, until fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture into a small saucepan, set over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the cream comes to a simmer, rotating the whisk around the bottom and along the edges to keep the cream from scorching. This is especially important when the quantity is so small. Once you see bubbles, whisk a bit more vigorously, about 2-3 minutes, until the pastry cream has thickened. Remove from heat.
Pour the pastry cream through the strainer into the bowl, pressing gently with a rubber spatula, to push the cream through. Add the butter and vanilla. Whisk to incorporate thoroughly. Set aside and proceed with the pistachio cream.
Pistachio cream:
Combine the pistachios, powdered sugar, flour and salt in the small bowl of the food processor. Pulse until finely ground. The resulting mixture may not be as fine as flour, but I don’t mind the texture and once it bakes, it isn’t noticeable.
Place the butter in a small bowl. Add the pistachio mixture in 2 additions and whisk until the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Add lemon zest and eggs. Whisk until combined.
Pistachio frangipane:
Add the pistachio cream to the pastry cream and whisk together until smooth. There may be small pistachio bits, if they were not finely ground in the beginning, but that is okay. Spoon the frangipane into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2″ round tip and set aside.
If you wish to assemble later, place the frangipane in a covered container with plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. It will keep for up to 4 days. If the frangipane has stiffened in the refrigerator, place in a stand mixer and mix to get it to a creamy consistency.
For assembly:
Place a half sheet size of parchment paper on a work surface. Place one puff pastry round on the parchment. Brush the border with egg wash, careful not to let it drip over the edge, which can prevent the puff pastry from rising properly. Spread the jam evenly, leaving a 1″ border of puff pastry dough. Then, on top, starting in the center of the dough, pipe a spiral of frangipane outward, again leaving the 1″ border of dough. Pipe a second spiral of frangipane on top, beginning in the center and stopping 1/2″ short of the edges of the bottom spiral.
If your second round of puff pastry is a bit too firm, let it sit out for a few minutes. Then lay the round on top, letting the sides gently drape over the frangipane. Rub your palm in a circular motion over the top of the dough to work any air bubbles toward the outside. With your fingertips, press the edges of the dough, sealing the top and bottom, leaving a small section of the dough unsealed, then gently move your fingertips over the top of the dough to move any air bubbles towards the opening. Press around the bottom of the mound of filling to give it definition. Then, seal the final section of the border.
Using the back of a paring knife, score 1/4″- deep diagonal slits every 1/2 inch around the edges of the dough. Brush the surface of the galette with egg wash. Again, careful not to let the egg wash drip over the edge. Freeze for 5-10 minutes until cold. Brush the galette again with egg wash. Then score the top. Start in the middle and draw arcs, spacing them 1/2 – 1″apart all the way around the dough. Using the tip of the knife, poke a hole in the center of the cake to allow for steam to escape while baking. Transfer the galette on the parchment to a half sheet pan. Freeze another 5-10 minutes until cold and firm.
For baking:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the galette from the freezer and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan if the galette starts to rise more on one area than the other. If this happens, very gently press down on it, without crushing the pastry on top. Bake for 30 more minutes. If at this point, it is not the desired golden brown color, lower the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Set the sheet pan on a cooling rack and while still warm, brush the top with the simple syrup. Return to the oven for about 2 minutes to set the syrup. Then remove and cool completely on the rack.
The galette is best the day it is baked. If you wish to prep ahead, you can freeze it after creating the design on top.