La galette des rois

Every year to celebrate Epiphany and the arrival of the three kings in Bethlehem, the French enjoy a traditional dessert known as galette des rois, or “King Cake”.

While the most popular variety is filled with frangipane or sweet almond paste, many other versions are available on the market.

It all began as a Christian festival celebrated the first weekend in January. Today, it also marks the launch of galette des rois season. If we scour the annals of time, the tradition began with a simple piece of bread and a bean hidden inside. As the centuries have passed, brioche has replaced the bread, a layer of frangipane has been added, and the bean, or “feve” in French, has morphed into a porcelain figurine as a nod to the nativity, or other trinkets. Galette can officially be enjoyed right through until Shrove Tuesday, but the French tend to limit their galette consumption to January! During this period, bakeries in France sell galettes personalised with their own trinkets. It’s a lucrative period for bakeries, cake shops and even supermarkets, as each year the French manage to put away 30 million galette des rois cakes. (Source: Federation des Entreprises de Boulangerie).

Brioche, frangipane or Provence-style to celebrate Epiphany in Provence

Galette des rois come in many different shapes and sizes. There are various regional differences and specialities, which can be the subject of much discussion when it comes to whether the frangipane or brioche version reigns supreme. Galette des rois in its simplest form is a flat, round puff pastry cake baked in the oven until golden brown. The most popular version, according to 80% of French people, is filled with a layer of frangipane, a cream made of sweet almonds, butter, eggs and sugar invented by the Earl of Frangipani in the 14th century. There are however other variants just as delicious, filled with chocolate, apples, cream or even dried fruits… which leads us to galette provencale.

In the south of France, in Provence in particular, this traditional dessert enjoyed to mark 12th night is not a galette at all, but instead a fruit brioche also containing a feve and known as a gateau des rois, (also King cake). The brioche is baked in the shape of a crown and flavoured with orange water and sprinkled on top with dried fruits and sugar.

King cake

The essential ingredient: the feve

In the 18th century, the feve was no longer a bean but a small porcelain figurine representing the nativity scene and the figures around the cradle. Feves are now big business in France, with every variant imaginable, much to the delight of children and collectors all over France. Traditionally, people gather around a table to cut the galette. The youngest child retreats under the table and allocates each slice to those around the table. The person who finds the feve must wear the crown that comes with the cake and choose his king or queen. He/she must also buy the next galette.

Galettes des rois with the feve

Galettes crafted by the finest chefs and purveyors

Every boulangerie-patisserie specialist bakery in France produces galettes from the start of January. Artisan boulangers and patissiers, master craftsmen in their field, craft these traditional desserts with the skills handed down from generation to generation. In the same way, every year the cream of French pastry chefs offer a range of exclusive produce.

Three collections stand out in particular: the galette created by Christophe Adam (L’éclair de Genie), with its unique caramel topping, the Fantastik galette by Christophe Michalak, with a superhero’s shield hidden inside, and finally, and the most visually striking of all, the galette bouche in the shape of a pair of lips created by chez Fauchon, with its rose petal and raspberry flan filling.

Brandade de Morue

Readers of Pebble Soup will know that I grew up in Nimes in the South of France, it was my dad's glorious years and though we moved back to Lyon when I was 10 years old, tales and customs of Provence surrounded us for a long time afterwards.

Already at such a young age, I was a fish fanatic and one of my favourite dish was la brandade de morue. It's a salted cod puree stirred for a long time with garlic and milk, some add potatoes to it and of course, there are a few variations: salted cod or fresh cod fillets salted, cream or milk or both. It's oven baked, served hot or cold with toasted or fried bread.

Originally from Nimes, brandado (in provencal) became quickly known throughout the area and is often consumed at Easter.

Though I love it, I have never made it from scratch. But due to the incredible kindness of a follow twitterer, I received one pot via the post only a few days after me commenting on a tweet. The kindness of others never ceased to amaze me, Thank you David, you are a star.

What I didn't know at the time was that the salted cod used is lovingly prepared and best quality. David is a second generation fisherman, he cures and salts cod and pollock. Cod brandade will be Thule Ventus next venture and I am delighted to have been one of the first persons to give him feedback. Just hoping that my childhood memories of baked brandade in a scallop shell were accurate enough.

If you fancy making your own, here is how to do it

                                        Brandade de Morue 
Ingredients
200g of salted cod
1 peeled onion
6 black peppercorns
a couple of bay leaves
5 tbs of olive oil
a squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Method
You will start by desalting the cod. The process takes 24 hours in the fridge, the cod is place in a recipient covered with water and the water is changed at least three times.

24hours later, in a saucepan, place the onion, 6 black peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves an a pint of milk, add the cod and bring it to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Lift the cod allow to cool, debone and skin

Cook one of two potatoes (no more than 200g) in the milk. When cook, lift it and mash it.
Keep the milk

Purée the cod and the garlic in a food processor with enough milk and when the mixture is well mashed so, at the last minute add the potato whisk a couple of times use the pulse button if you have one as potatoes treated this way can get really gluey.

Transfer to a dish add lemon juice (if using) 5tbsp of oil, stir well, it should be almost sloppy but not quite.

Served on toast or alternatively oven baked topped with bread crumbs.

What best recipe to add to Inheritance Recipes? This month hosted by Margot I can't think of any but maybe you do, come and join us.

Quelle Quiche! Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Quiche, is very much part of French cuisine, with Quiche Lorraine (bacon and grated cheese) being the traditional quiche. But that French tarte made it across Europe and though the base is always the same. Shortcrust pastry with a baked egg custard, the fillings vary according to the seasons and the countries.

Did you know that in France if, someone is referred to as, "A quiche" as in, for example, "Quelle quiche!"  that would be describing somebody clumsy or stupid or both!

Thon en Cocotte

Aaah la cocotte-minute! a cooking utensil, no French home would do without. I got mine when I was 17 and was getting ready to leave my parents' home. 

If you have spent some time in France, you will have noticed the strange noises emanating from flats and houses around midday, a soft, pffffffff pfffffff followed by a plume of steam on balconies that is a sure sign that somebody is using their cocotte (pressure cooker).

With each pressure cooker comes a book of "300 recettes", including traditional dishes. Many of which are "en matelote": cooked in red wine. My well battered book is old enough to contain offal recipes and a few exotic dishes such as Pork Curry.

The introduction alone is worth its pinch of salt, "Now days, the good-housewives are trying to reconcile the stresses of modern life with the traditional cooking".

I really love tuna, when I was little and lived in the south of France, my dad would take me to the fish market, we would come back home with tuna steaks for us and white fish for my mum. Then the ritual of cooking with the cocotte would start. 

So no wonder that on the rare occasions, I can source tuna in London, I pick up my battered book, my cocotte and as a result served very moist, no fuss tuna-steaks on a bed of steamed vegetables.

Thon en Cocotte

You will need:

Ingredients for 4 people

4 Tuna steaks

50 g of butter or oil

1 onion

2 gloves of garlic

Thyme and bay

1 slice of bacon per steak

1 glass of white wine (250ml)

1/2 mug of bread crumbs

salt and pepper

Method:

Make a marinade with 1 glass of oil and herbs (thyme and bay). Place the tuna steak in the marinade for a least 2h, best overnight

When you are ready to cook, wrap the bacon around the tuna.

Pan-fry in the pressure cooker with oil or butter, add the garlic and onion, cook for a couple of minutes,

Add the wine, close the cooker and let the dish cook for 30 minutes

Serve with steamed vegetables.