This is the French version of a 3 kings pie or King pie. A trinket is hidden in the filling and the person who finds it is the king of the day.
The custom is associated with an old Roman tradition during the Saturnalia festival. A bean was hidden inside the pie to choose the king of that festive day.
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Frangipane:
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Puff Pastry:
Egg and Sugar Glaze:
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Frangipane:
- Soften the butter (do not melt!) and add the 2 eggs, one at a time. Whisk vigorously until you get a shiny paste.
- Combine flour and cream powder, sift over the butter mix and whisk well until smooth.
- Add the almond essence drops and rum if you wish to use it.
- Make a almond broyage by simply combining the sugar and the almond meal. Add it to the butter-egg mix and whisk thoroughly.
Puff Pastry:
- With a 30 cm baking ring or ring from a spring form cut out 2 disks from the puff pastry sheets.
- With a fork, punch holes in the pastry sheet that you're going to use as the bottom. Lay it on baking paper.
- Fill a piping bag with the frangipane paste. Use a large, round nozzle. On the bottom pastry sheet, pipe the frangipane starting from the center. Work your way around in the shape of a spiral. Leave about 3 cm (a little more than 1 inch) of puff pastry uncovered (see pic) or until there's no frangipane left.
- Brush the uncovered pastry part with the beaten eggs.
- Lay the second, round pastry sheet on the piped frangipane. Press gently around the rim of the frangipane shape and where the 2 pastry sheets touch each other.
- Now take a smaller baking- or spring form ring of about 28 cm and center the frangipane part. Press hard on the ring to cut away excess puff pastry from both layers at the same time.
- Preheat oven for 10 - 15 minutes at 170°C.
- With the back of a small knife make small, vertical cuts (see image) all around the rim of the puff pastry.
- Very important for a correct baking of the frangipane: cut a steam hole in the center of the pie. Some people cut lines from the center to the rim of the frangipane resembling the spokes of a wheel.
- Coat the whole pie with the beaten eggs using the pastry brush.
- With the point of a knife make decorative lines on the surface of the pie.
- Bake pie with baking paper underneath for 50 minutes in the middle of the oven. After 30 minutes lay a sheet of baking paper or aluminum foil over the pie.
- While the pie is warm, brush it with the warm sugar syrup. Take 50g of powdered sugar (2 parts) and 25g of water (1 part).
Tools used: Bowl, whisk, piping bag with nozzles, silicone spatula, pastry brush, sieve, baking- or spring form rings.
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