If Epiphany is traditionally celebrated on January 6, we take the opportunity to feast with a galette or a brioche des rois during all the month. And to vary the pleasures, do not hesitate to try several recipes.
No matter the cake, the bases remain the same and it's today Francois Perret who gives us all his tips to make it a success at home (and impress his guests!).
Elected best restaurant pastry chef in the world in 2019, François Perret leaves his kitchen and his brigade for two weeks to take the wheel of a food truck in the United States. His mission : revisiting American pastries using French techniques and refinement. Since the broadcast of the documentary series "The Chef in a Truck" sure Netflix, the emblematic creations of chef François Perret are offered at "Small counter", installed in front of the hotel entrance. Here are his tips.
Take his time !
The chef prefers to prevent: "in pastry, you have to take your timeWhether it is for the galette or for any other pastries, it is always preferable to organize yourself well beforehand and to avoid making all the preparations on the same day. By operating in this way, you risk being overtaken by tasks and making mistakes.
The most important part of the cake is the puff pastry, "prepare it in advance and on several days": the first day, realize the tempera (flour, salt, butter, water, vinegar), the next day double tower, and finally on the third day on simple turn.
Once your cake is filled and shaped, it will also be important to let it rest one night or several hours chilled for "optimize the leavening lift". It's not just a question of organization:"the longer the puff pastry rests, the less risk there is of it moving during cooking".
Choose quality almonds
The galette des rois is traditionally prepared with almond cream that is mixed with pastry cream: it is the frangipane. For a better texture and a better balance of flavors, the chef recommends a ratio of "25% pastry cream and 75% almond cream".
Avoid using artificial food flavors (bitter almond), and simply prefer "a good almond powder"that can be found very easily in supermarkets or organic stores.
How to shape my cake?
For a 30 cm cake
- Detail two circles with a diameter of 35 cm each.
- Line the inside with a circle, leaving a margin of 4 cm (by 30 cm).
- Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water, then place your second circle of dough (by turning it 1/4).
- Using a pastry ring or a simple saucepan, mark the pancake at 30 cm.
- With a cutter, cut off the excess dough, which you can reuse to make pies.
For this last step, do not use "especially no knife", specifies the chief. You risk"to crush the puff pastry"which will be very difficult to develop afterwards. If the cut was done the right way, you should see appear"the different layers of dough and butter"of your leafing.
How to decorate my cake?
Before putting the pancake in the oven, you must "brown it the first time with a mixture egg-egg yolk, let to dry a few moments and make a second gilding". Make way for patterns now, which you must achieve with "delicacy".
With the back of the knife (and especially not the sharp side which could damage the puff pastry), "define it well center"the galette and make the decoration of your choice,"always starting from defined center".
To be sure not to press too hard, here is the chef's technique: "place your finger slightly back on the tip of the knife: if the finger touches the doughis that you press too much".
Gentle and even cooking
For cooking, "take it easy"advises François Perret. Do not exceed the 165 ° C and prefer a long cooking (45 minutes, to adapt according to the size of the pancake). "Do not open the oven door before the end of cooking", under penalty of seeing your leafing"vanish".
To get a pancake straight, here's the chef's tip: "cut out wooden wedges of about 5cm (or use cookie cutters), place them on each side of the baking sheet, add a baking sheet on the pancake and then a baking sheet on top."This technique allowsbalance lifting and "prevent the pancake from growing too much on one side and not enough on the other".
Read also :
⋙ The mistake we all make with the galette des rois
⋙ How to recognize a good galette des rois?
⋙ Galette des rois: this amazing reason why the bean is banned in the United States