A Royal Treat

Les galettes des rois

The holiday of Epiphany is on January 6th.  I don't have much experience with this holiday but I have learned a couple of things since living in Strasbourg.  Epiphany marks the day that the three kings of Orient fame met the baby Jesus.  France marks the date with a special cake.

In Strasbourg, les galettes des rois can be found in bakeries through the entire month of January.  La galette des rois means cake of kings.  On the weekend of the sixth, our neighborhood bakery only offered these cakes as their choice of desserts.  Apparently someone would be out of luck if they would rather have something different.

A galette des rois is a round dessert made of flaky pastry.  They are technically called cake but their texture is not like a typical American cake.  They are more like a dense croissant.  They are flaky, not fluffy or moist.  The one we ate had a frangipane filling, which is a sweet paste made from almonds.  A modern-day trinket, made from plastic, is hidden in the cake.  The person who receives the trinket in their serving is considered the "king".  The lucky person gets to wear a paper crown that comes with the galette.

My husband was the big winner this year.  He found a tiny, red firetruck in his piece of cake.  I am hoping to be the lucky one next year.  Maybe I could trade my trinket for a night off from dish duty?

Les galettes des rois in a bakery window.  These particular ones offered Shrek themed prizes.  

Our galette came in a special bag.  

Our galette with its crown

There's the prize!