Galette des Rois a la Frangipane

Ingredients

• 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry, about 500 g total
• 150 ml whole milk
• 1 egg yolk, for the pastry cream
• 30 g caster sugar, for the pastry cream
• 15 g cornflour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g soft unsalted butter
• 100 g caster sugar, for the almond cream
• 100 g ground almonds
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 1 pinch fleur de sel
• 1 porcelain feve or dried bean
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp cream, to glaze
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, for the final glaze

Before you cook

• Cut a 24 cm disc from each sheet of puff pastry using a plate as a guide, then chill both discs flat on lined trays.
• Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature.
• Whisk the egg yolk with the 30 g sugar and the cornflour for the pastry cream.
• Have the feve to hand so you do not forget to hide it.

Steps

1. Bring the 150 ml milk to a simmer in a small pan.
2. Pour the hot milk over the yolk mixture while whisking, then return it all to the pan.
3. Cook over medium heat, whisking hard, until the pastry cream thickens and boils for 30 seconds.
4. Scrape the cream into a shallow dish, stir in the vanilla, cover the surface with cling film and chill until cold.
5. Beat the 100 g soft butter with the 100 g sugar until creamy but not aerated.
6. Beat in the ground almonds, then the two eggs one at a time, followed by the rum and the fleur de sel.
7. Whisk the cold pastry cream smooth and fold it into the almond cream to make the frangipane.
8. Spoon the frangipane into a piping bag and chill it for 20 minutes.
9. Take the first pastry disc from the fridge and brush a 2 cm border of cold water around its edge.
10. Pipe the frangipane in a spiral over the centre, keeping inside the wet border, and press the feve into the filling near the outer edge.
11. Lay the second disc on top and press the border down firmly with your fingertips to expel any air.
12. Press all round the edge with the back of a knife to scallop and seal it.
13. Brush the top with the egg yolk glaze, taking care not to let it run down the cut edge.
14. Chill the galette for 30 minutes, then glaze a second time.
15. Score a rosette or a series of curved arcs into the lid with the tip of a knife, cutting only halfway through.
16. Pierce four small steam holes through the top.
17. Heat the oven to 190C fan.
18. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven to 175C and bake for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed, dark golden and dry underneath.
19. Dust the hot galette with icing sugar and return it to the oven for three minutes to lacquer the surface.
20. Slide it onto a rack and serve warm.