Pithiviers is the name of the galette des rois (twelfth night cake) in France. Here made with a frangipane cream which is a mixture of almond cream (2/3) with a pastry cream (1/3).

For a 24/26 cm diameter pithiviers.

The Puff Pastry :
- about 500 gr puff pastry.
You can buy it but you can also do it yourself, believe me it's not that hard.
Follow the recipe and steps there : click!

The Frangipane Cream :
Prepare the pastry cream.
- 125 gr milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 20 gr sugar
- 15 gr flour
- 1/2 tsp natural vanilla flavor (liquid or powder)

Heat up the milk. Mix well the yolk with the sugar, then add the flour. Mix again. Pour the milk over the previous mixture, whip quickly and put this mixture back in the sauce pan. Cook for 2 minutes, whipping all the time and until it gets thick.

Place the cream in the bowl and blend in the vanilla flavor. Leave to cool down for 10 minutes and reserve in the fridge.

Prepare the almond cream.
- 80 gr butter (softened)
- 80 gr sugar
- 80 gr ground almonds (previously roasted if possible)
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tbsp rum (optional)
- 1 tsp bitter almond flavor

Softened the butter and beat it with the sugar, then add the egg, whip until homogeneous.

Add the ground almonds, mix again until well combined...

Take the pastry cream out of the fridge and whip it with the almond cream until smooth. Reserve.

The Assembly :

Roll out the puff pastry 3 mm thick and cut two discs (24 or 26 cm diameter) out of it.

Spread one of the disc with the frangipane cream (about 1,5 thick), leave 3 cm free to stick the other disc. Brush this space with egg and place the second disc of puff pastry. Avoid air bubbles, press the edge lightly to seal.

Brush a first time with a mixture of egg, water and sugar and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then brush it a second time and apply some decorative scores with a sharp knife (or better, a razor blade).

Don't forget to make a small hole in the center before to bake, it'll let escape the steam. Put in preheated oven. 10 minutes at high temperature (like 200°C) and 20 to 30 minutes more at medium temperature (like 160°C). 

When done, get it out of the oven and brush the top right away with a sugar syrup (25 gr water + 25 sugar previously boiled and cold down)

The scores are up to you, unleash your imagination !

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Unknown

6:48:00 ص

A dessert inspired by Buren's Columns in Paris. So, a sablé breton, a layer of frangipane, a light touch of candied orange puree, a mascarpone mousse flavored with amêndoa amarga liqueur and some white and black meringue fairy fingers.

Makes 4 servings,

The Sablé Breton :

- 65 gr flour

- 90 gr butter

- 45 gr sugar

- 1 egg yolk

- pinch salt

Softened the butter, mix it with the sugar then with the yolk. Then add the flour.

When homogeneous spread it 1,5 cm thick over an over tray (or better in 6 cm diameter molds). Place in preheated oven (170°C / 338°F) for about 10 minutes. When still hot, cut circles out of it (a bit smaller than the molds we will use ie 7 cm)

Leave to cool down. (They have to be crunchy when cold)

The Candied Orange Puree (Philippe Conticini recipe) :
- 25 gr orange peel (without the whitish part)
- 75 ml orange juice
- 35 gr sugar

In a small sauce pan blanch in boiling water the orange peel for 1 minute, strain, then repeat this step 2 more times. Strain all the water and pour in the orange juice and the sugar...

Cook over gentle heat for 30 to 45 minutes. The juice has to reduce until it left only the amount of 2 or 3 tablespoons. Then mix in a food processor. Reserve.

The Frangipane Cream :
The frangipane cream is the mixture of an almond cream and a pastry cream.
For the Almond Cream :
- 30 gr butter
- 30 gr sugar
- 30 gr ground almond
- 1 egg yolk
For the Pastry Cream :
- 65 ml milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 10 gr sugar
- 10 gr flour

Prepare the almond cream : softened the butter, mix it with the sugar and ground almond. Then whip this mixture with the yolk. Reserve.

Prepare the pastry cream : bring the milk to boil, meanwhile beat the sugar with the flour and the yolk. Pour the hot milk over the previous mixture. Whip until homogeneous...

Bring this mixture back in the sauce pan and cook until it thickens (about 2 minutes). Leave to cool down for a while then take 50 gr of it and mix it with the almond cream. Beat energetically...

Spread it 1 cm thick over an over tray covered with baking paper, bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven (170°c / 338°F). Leave to cool down completely. When at room temperature, cut circles out of it (6 cm diameter). Reserve.

The Meringue Fairy Fingers :
- 3 egg-whites (about 100 gr)
- 200 gr sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Beat the egg-whites until stiff, then add the sugar in 2 times. Keep beating until smooth. Divide this meringue in 2...

Flavor and color one of the meringues with the cocoa powder folding it delicately. With the help of a pastry bag (a 5 mm nozzle) pipe the meringue over an oven tray covered with baking paper... Bake for 2 hours at very low heat (like 100°C / 212°F). They has to be completely dry.

Here's the result. (I cut them the same size of the height of the molds (here about 5,5 cm)

The Almond Mascarpone Mousse :
- 150 gr cream
- 150 gr mascarpone
- 45 gr sugar
- 50 ml amêndoa amarga (this is a Portuguese almond liqueur. If not available you can use amaretto)
- 2 gelatin sheets

Hydrate the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Heat up the liqueur in a sauce pan, when it start to simmer, add the gelatin out of the heat. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Leave to cool down for about 15 minutes, then add it to the mascarpone, beat well. Beat the cream (cold) until it forms peaks, then fold it delicately into the mascarpone mixture... Now it's time to assembly...

The Assembly :

Line the molds with parchment paper. Put the sablé bretons in the bottom of the molds (5,5 cm high, 7 cm diameter)...

Spread a thin layer of mascarpone mousse, then place a circle of frangipane and half of a teaspoon of candied orange puree. Fill up with the mousse to the top. Level. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When set, remove delicately the molds. Then stick on it the white and black meringue fairy fingers (you can use some whipped cream to stick them if the mousse isn't sticky enough). Serve right away.

Inside

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Unknown

4:25:00 ص