We love the rite of galette des Rois with frangipane or the candied fruit brioche crown for Epiphany, but what should you look out for when choosing it? Two experts give us their advice.
Hardly have the logs left the bakery and pastry windows than the quintessential Rois cake is making a comeback. Traditionally eaten on Epiphany, the galette has become a veritable staple of French gastronomy. Frangipane pancakes in the north of France and brioche bread with candied fruit in the south are unleashing a frenzy ( at least as much as pain or chocolate and chocolate) But how do you recognize a well-balanced and properly cooked pancake? Answers with Camille Lesek (1), pastry chef at Le Meurice from 2004 to 2012 and co-author of the book The Dessert Bistrot / Palace and Christophe Roussel, creator of La Baule, Pornichet, Guérande and Paris sweets (2).
Amber shade
Round and golden, as it should evoke the sun star, the cake nevertheless benefits from a more intense shade, amber, almost coffee; often too heavy,” explains pastry chef Camille Lesek. A very amber hue ensures good cooking and crisp flaking.
Edges not too massive
A good puff pastry, sufficiently cooked, will be thin, light, with “well-developed but not massive edges,” he emphasizes. This is especially evident when cutting. the flaking should resist a bit and then “sing” as it gives way under the pressure of the knife.Very brittle, the pancake was probably frozen.
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Good outfit
The pancake should keep well even when cut into pieces. “If the end stings, it’s a bad sign. puff pastry that is too undercooked will definitely be soft and hard to digest,” warns Christophe Roussel, creator of La Baule, Guérande and Paris sweets. And for good reason, cooking in the oven is very important the dough rises at the same time. So the whole thing has to be perfectly homogeneous,” adds pastry chef and author Camille Lesek. Too much filling prevents the bottom layer from swelling, creating a large empty space between the filling and the top layer.
Balanced decoration
A traditional galette has two fillings: almond cream or frangipane. “Frangipane is one third pastry and two thirds almonds,” explains Camille Lesek. Almond cream is made from a mixture of butter and almond powder. But there are variations, with apple, chocolate… Obviously, there’s no way to see what the filling looks like before buying the pancake, but ‘a serious craftsman who prides himself on the quality of his batch will never waver. to convince you to taste a piece,” says Christophe Roussel, who is the creator of sweets in La Baule, Porniquet, Guerand and Paris.
The smell of butter
As for the perfume, we will leave aside a royal cake, which does not give off a good smell of fresh butter (it is sometimes replaced by other fats, less noble and often vegetable) and where the strong presence of rum masks the bad quality of almonds. dust An iron aftertaste does not necessarily indicate poor performance, but a poorly cleaned plate.
Read labels carefully
If you have no choice but to buy your cake in the supermarket, first of all, you should not neglect to carefully study the list of ingredients , ground almonds, cream, vanilla pod, sugar and rum. There is no escape from there.” Put the cake back on the rack. Better to do it yourself.
(1) Camille Lesecq, co-author of the book The Dessert Bistrot / PalaceLa Martinière Editions, 240 pages, €35.
(2) Christoph Roussel 6 allée des Camélias, 44500 La Baule. Such. 02 40 60 65 04. 5 rue tardieu 75018 Paris. Such. 01 42 58 91 01.
*This article was originally published on January 3, 2017 and has been updated.
Source: Le Figaro
