Galette des rois: a perfect epiphany pudding

• 7 January 2022, 6:00am
• From Spectator Life

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Alexander Larman

What happened to the Rishi Sunak I knew at school?

Makes: Enough for 8

Takes: 20 minutes, plus chilling

Bakes: 45 minutes

500g puff pastry

1 egg yolk

For the frangipane

115g butter

115g caster sugar

2 eggs

110g ground almonds

30g plain flour

2 tablespoons rum

For the glaze

50g sugar

25ml water

1. First, roll out the puff pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. Cut the pastry in half, and place each half on a lined baking tray. Cut two discs, one 23cm and one 20cm, but don’t lift them away from the rest of the pastry. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the frangipane: cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat each of the eggs into the mixture. Fold through the ground almonds and flour, then stir through the rum.
3. Prick the smaller of the two discs of chilled puff pastry all over with a fork. Spoon or pipe the frangipane onto the disc, leaving a 1cm border around the edge. If you’re placing a porcelain figure or a fève in the tart, pop it in the frangipane now.
4. Dab the edge of the pastry with egg wash, and lay the second, larger disc of pastry on top. Gently ease it down over the frangipane to eliminate air pockets beneath the pastry while maintaining a nice domed shape, then press firmly at the edges to seal. Refrigerate for an hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C, and remove the galette from the fridge. Use the back of your knife to indent the border of the pastry at regular intervals, creating a petal effect. Fork the egg yolk with a small pinch of salt and brush over the pastry. Chill for ten more minutes.
6. Starting from the centre, use a small, sharp knife to score sweeping curves to the edge of the pastry. Bake for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature to 160°C and bake for another 30 minutes.
7. While the galette is baking, make the sugar glaze: heat together the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. As soon as you remove the galette des rois from the oven, brush the pastry liberally with glaze and leave to cool.