Galette De Rois

So last week it was epiphany, and with my Belgian background, there was no way I wasn’t making a galette de rois.

In Belgium, on epiphany it’s a tradition to have one of these bad boys, and you bake a small figurine into it, then whoever gets the slice with the figurine in it is king for the day and people would have to do what they say.

It is so delicious, and it just reminds me of childhood.. mmmmmmm.

INGREDIENTS:

• 400g ready-made puff pastry
• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 100g softened butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 lighly beaten egg
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 tbsp cognac or dark rum

METHOD:

1. Heat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6.
2. Divide the ready-made puff pastry in half, roll out each piece and cut into a 25cm round. Put one round on a baking sheet and spread with the apricot jam to within 2cm of the edges.
3. Beat together the softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Stir in the ground almonds and cognac or dark rum.
4. Spoon the mixture over the jam, spreading it evenly, press the figurine into the almond paste and brush over with a little more. Brush the edges of the pastry with water, then cover with the second piece, pressing the edges to seal. Mark the top of the pastry from the centre to the edges like the spokes of a wheel or in a zig zag pattern, then brush with beaten egg.
5. Bake for 20-25 mins until crisp and golden. Serve warm or cold.

ENJOY

Flat apple tart

Ahhhh Autumn, the season of falling leaves, cold fingers, and lots of yummy food! We had lots of apples left from the end of summer, and since my folks were coming over… well, this happened, as per usual- I can’t keep out of the kitchen.

Not only is it Autumn, it’s also November, and on the 7th, it’s my birthday!!! I love birthdays, not just my own, it’s my best friends’s birthday in two days, and I’m probably more excited for hers, I just can’t wait for her to open her presents!

You should have seen the speed that it disappeared from the plate, I blinked and it was all gone! It’s the perfect dessert, and it goes well with ice cream, cream or custard, or all three! (That’s a Dickens trait, they like to have it with everything possible, my family)

INGREDIENTS:

• 375g pack puff pastry- You could make your own, but that’s just faff that isn’t necessary
• 5 large eating apples
• juice of 1 lemon
• 25g butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp apricot conserve

METHOD:

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Roll out the pastry and trim to a round about 35cm across. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples and coat in lemon juice. Spread over the pastry to within 2cm of the edges. Curl up the edges slightly to stop any juice running off.
3. Dot the top with the butter cubes and sprinkle with the sugars. Bake for 15-20 mins until the apples are soft and the pastry is golden and crispy.
4. Warm the conserve and brush over the apples and pastry edge. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream, cream or custard.

ENJOY!

Cinnamon apple roses

I love cinnamon, with everything, and with apples, it’s a match made by the Gods of baking. I’d love to imagine that there are really baking Gods, who sit watching as you cook, and if they dislike you, BAM, your cooking gets burnt, or they change the sugar to salt. And there’s a specific God for cakes, cookies, savouries etc.. anyway, back to reality.

I absolutely love how elegant these little delicacies look, and they’re actually pretty simple. I used shop bought puff pastry because I find hand making it such a chore, all the folding and chilling and folding again.. YAWN, but if you want to, it would work just as well, as long as you’re good at puff pastry- a tough skill to master!

They’re great served warm as a dessert with ice cream, and  they’re also really yummy if you replace the apples with peaches and replace the jam with nutella- DELISH!!

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 sheet of puff pastry (if frozen, make sure it’s thawed)
• 2 red apples (I used braeburn, but try and make sure the whole apple is red for the colouring of the ‘petals’)
• half lemon, juice
• 1 tablespoon of flour, to sprinkle the counter
• 3 tablespoons of apricot preserve
• cinnamon (optional)
• icing sugar for decorating (optional)

METHOD:

1. core the apples and slice really thinly, then put straight in the lemon juice, mixed with a bit of water, so that they don’t begin to turn brown.
2. Put them in the microwave for about 3 minutes, as this will soften them meaning they are easier to bend, and roll into the rose shape.
3. Mix the apricot preserve with 3 tbsp water and microwave for about 30 seconds to make it runnier and easier to spread.
4. Roll out the pastry sheet and cut into 5 long strips
5. Brush apricot preserve onto the strips, and lay the apple slices along the top half of each strip, making sure they stick out slightly, then sprinkle over some cinnamon.
6. fold the bottom half of the strip upwards, then roll tightly into a rose shape, and put into a greased muffin tin, repeating for each strip.
7. Bake for 40- 45 minutes at 190C until the pastry is completely cooked through, and if the apples look well done before the time is up, move to the bottom shelf of the oven.

ENJOY