Galettes des Rois

This marks my second culinary escapade during my time with the French club, a local interest group formed of residents from our area. After receiving praise for my bûches de Noël, I was promptly tasked with baking galettes. Once again, I felt a flutter of nerves, wondering if I could rise to the occasion. Perhaps I need to work on my flair for drama, but the tasks entrusted by this club and their approval somehow strike a chord with me. Especially as there's an abundance of recipes for this traditional French post-Christmas treat. After meticulously studying them all, I opted to follow a tried-and-tested recipe from a fellow club member, simply adding a drop of rum to the filling. But let me tell you what these galettes are all about. They have a rich history which dates back to Ancient Rome. It's mind-boggling! These treats are prepared for a celebration on 6 January symbolising the arrival of the Three Kings in Bethlehem. A large dried bean was traditionally tucked inside, which nowadays is typically a porcelain or plastic bean or small figurine. The person who discovers it in their slice is crowned king or queen for the day. In families with children, the youngest crawls under the table and decides who gets the next slice. As you can imagine, children absolutely adore this tradition. What's fascinating is that even at Louis XIV's table the king was chosen with a galette. A galette is made each year for the President of the Republic, however it doesn't contain a bean as this would contradict the principles of equality and fraternity. During the French Revolution, for obvious reasons, the galette was no longer referred to as royal, and instead became known as Galette de l'Egalité, or Equality Cake. The most delightful part of the King's Cake is the filling, which is made of ground almonds, named frangipane in honour of an Italian count with the same name who gifted this recipe to Catherine de Medici. A splendid gesture, I must say. My galettes at the event were devoured to the last crumb, and every guest who indulged in them came over to express their gratitude.