After munching on sugary New Orleans kings’ cake and the barely sweet Mexican rosca des reyes in years past, we felt that the French version of this Epiphany cake would hold few surprises–epiphanies, if you will–for us.
But, garcon, were we wrong.
A galette des rois may be served for the same Jan. 6 holiday (the 12th day of Christmas, when the three wise men brought gifts for Jesus in Bethlehem), but it is quite distinct from other kings’ cakes. It starts with a puff pastry rather than yeast dough and gets its sweetness from an almond paste sandwiched between the buttery layers. Upon finding the toy or bean, called a feve, hidden in your piece, you become king/queen for the day and have good luck all year.
“My mother would hide the feves . . . My brother and sister and I were always excited to see who would find them because you would have power that day,” recalled Brasserie Jo chef Jean Joho. “I would request a special dish for dinner. One year it was pot au feu, another foie gras.”
From Jan. 10 to 12, Joho will offer slices of his delicious delicate galette to diners at Brasserie Jo (59 W. Hubbard St.; 312-595-0800) for $3.50. Those who find the dried bean in their portion will receive a paper crown and restaurant gift certificate.
You can also order galettes all month from Sweet Thang (1921 W. North Ave.; 773-772-4166; sweetthangcakes.com), where they range from 6 to 16 inches and cost $8-$44. Each cake comes with a crown but no feve for safety purposes.
Or you can stop by the Gourmet Frog (316 Green Bay Rd., Highwood; 847-433-7038). This galette is a wonderfully flaky creation, its two layers of buttery puff pastry filled with a slightly runny layer of rum-tinged almond custard and its top dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Gold paper crowns come with the cakes, and customers tuck their own feve or bean into the pastry. Through January, 8- to 12-inch galettes cost $15-$21.
The Alliance Francaise (810 N. Dearborn St.; 312-337-1070) will mark Epiphany (a little late) on Jan. 25 with galettes galore from local chefs and baking and storytelling workshops for kids. Tickets are $5 -$10.
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Galette des rois (pronounced gah-LET day wah)
What is it: An Epiphany cake made from puff pastry and almond paste
Where it’s from: France
Price: $3.50-$44
French for “There’s a feve in my galette”: “Il y a une feve dans ma galette.”