Galette des Rois (Epiphany — French King Cake)

Galette des rois — the puff pastry frangipane tart of Epiphany (January 6) — is France's most anticipated seasonal pastry, appearing in pâtisseries from late December and eaten throughout January. The preparation is the simplest of the great French seasonal pastries: two discs of all-butter puff pastry sandwiching a generous filling of frangipane (almond cream), sealed, decorated with a traditional knife-scored pattern on the surface, glazed, and baked until deeply golden. A fève (a small ceramic figurine, originally a dried bean) is hidden in the frangipane and whoever finds it in their slice wears a paper crown and is king or queen for the day. The galette des rois is eaten at Epiphany across France, and the moment of revelation — who found the fève? — is the same ritual of communal celebration repeated in millions of French homes on the same day.