Galette des Rois briochée
the holidays continue in the South of France
Chances are you’re more familiar with the classic Galette des Rois, a puff pastry disc with an almond frangipane cream filling, served in France to celebrate the Epiphany (the day the Three Kings arrived to visit Jesus after his birth).
Now, I realize this may sound odd to some of you—I mean me talking about the Epiphany since I’ve been untangling the wires of my Roman Catholic upbringing, and weaving a new tapestry of faith around Judaism. Honestly, I spend a lot of time confused about it myself, torn between my old and new life. Not because I miss being Catholic—I left the church for a reason. It’s about tradition and memories—how do you decide what to keep and what to tuck away in the rolodex of your mind?
What I realized after being on this journey for the last 10 years since Michael passed away is that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Most of my life revolves around the Jewish calendar, and that faith means everything to me. It represents Michael and his family history. It’s our children’s heritage.
This past holiday season, the longing for (almost) all things Christmas was strong, so I gave into it and enjoyed every second this past December. I know I confused Matthew a lot, and whenever he asked questions trying to understand, I tended to bark at him about being able to do what I want (the man is a saint, even if they don’t have saints in Judaism).
My reply, or rather the tone of reply, was more me convincing myself that I don’t have to justify it to anyone. If I ever find another therapist, this will definitely take up a few sessions.
I’ve digressed—those of you who’ve been reading my work the last 12 years will not be surprised. If you’re new here, well, I often write stream of consciousness, and while I do proof everything I write multiple times, I prefer to keep this unedited version of my thoughts.
So, back to the Galette des Rois. That almond filled version I mentioned is the more popular one, but my favorite is the kind typically made in the South of France where a dear friend grew up. It’s a brioche ring flavored faintly with orange blossom water, and has no almond cream filling. My kids also prefer this one.
Regardless of which kind you make, each cake should have a féve tucked inside. Tradition goes that the youngest child sits under the table and calls out the name of someone in the room to serve each slice that is cut (my friend used to always make her son get under the table which made me chuckle). Whomever gets the slice with the féve is said to receive luck and prosperity and is also responsible for baking or buying next year’s cake.
We have a small collection of féves from over the years, of which I can find none at the moment to photograph and show you. Luckily, I did find this handmade féve Virginia made in ceramics class a few years ago as a gift for me, so our cake has extra special meaning this year. While these galettes des rois are made to celebrate the Epiphany which always falls on January 6th, nowadays you’ll find both version made and sold in France throughout all of January, so feel free to bake and enjoy this regardless of the calendar date this month.
A little announcement before I go off to sleep—I’m writing this by the glow of our Christmas tree lights way past my bedtime. A new e-cookbook will be arriving soon, one dedicated to soups. Soup is perhaps my favorite thing to cook and eat, even on the hottest of summer days. Honestly, I don’t understand cold soups—aren’t those just smoothies?
Anyway! I hope this first week after the holidays has been an easy transition and you’ve found some moments of peace. –xo, j.
p.s. through January 15th, use the button below for a special discounted annual subscription (only the button that reads 42% off will apply the discount—I cannot easily issue a refund if you click the wrong button. Sorry Substack doesn’t make it easier!)
