Light Galette des Rois

📝 Ingredients

• 2 round ready-rolled puff pastry sheets (about 230 g each)
• 100 g ground almonds
• 3 eggs (2 whole + 1 white for the frangipane, 1 yolk for the glaze)
• 60 g caster sugar
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 80 g apple purée, no added sugar
• 10 g cornflour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
• 1 fève (small porcelain charm)

🍴 Utensils

• Baking tray and baking paper
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk and spatula
• Pastry brush
• Paring knife and bread knife
• Wire rack

📖 Steps

1. Take the butter out 30 minutes ahead so it's nice and soft, and the puff pastry sheets 10 minutes before unrolling them: if they're too cold, they crack. Separate the white from the yolk of the third egg and keep the yolk in a bowl in the fridge.
2. In the mixing bowl, whisk the soft butter with the sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the apple purée, then the 2 whole eggs and the egg white, one at a time, whisking well after each. The mixture may look lumpy at this stage: that's normal.
3. Fold in the ground almonds, cornflour and vanilla with the spatula until you have a thick, smooth frangipane. Chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes: once firmer, it spreads more easily and doesn't spill out during baking.
4. Unroll one pastry sheet onto the baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread the frangipane in the centre, leaving a 3 cm border all round. Push the fève in near the edge, never in the centre, so you don't hit it when cutting the slices.
5. Moisten the clear border with a pastry brush dipped in a little water. Lay the second sheet on top, press the air out from the centre towards the edges, then seal firmly by pressing all round with your fingers. A poor seal lets the frangipane leak out.
6. Mix the reserved yolk with the milk. Brush it over the top of the galette without letting it drip down the sides, or the pastry won't rise there. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 200 °C.
7. Brush on a second coat of glaze, then score lines or a rosette pattern with the tip of the paring knife, just grazing the pastry without piercing it. Make 3 small holes in the centre to let the steam escape during baking.
8. Bake for 10 minutes at 200 °C, then lower to 180 °C and bake for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until the galette is well risen and a deep golden colour, including at the edges. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with a sheet of foil.
9. Leave to cool for 15 minutes on the rack before cutting into 8 equal slices with the bread knife, without pressing down so you don't crush the layers. Serve warm, while the frangipane is still soft, and let the youngest person decide who gets each slice.