Galette des Chefs, Sebastien Gaudard

 

Thank you for all the kind words of concern. It's been a tough week. This morning I heard a quote from one of the lost artists , Jean Cabut, "My dad said, when I was 15, if one could earn a living by drawing everyone would do it". I need to draw and I'm grateful for all the support so I can stay in Paris and draw even "in the worst of times".

Yesterday Solli and I went to the annual charity event held at Saint Germain by the chefs of l'Escoffier. Top Paris chefs donate galette des rois cakes:le Moulin de la Vierge, Potel et Chabot, Hélène Darroze, la Grande Epicerie, Saint Clair le Traiteur, Pierre Hermé, la Maison Kayser, le George V, Michel Rostang, les Bistronome, Poilâne, le Plaza Athénée, Thierry Burlot, Bakery, William Ledeuil, la pâtisserie Jean Millet, la Closerie des Lilas et Clerardin, Fauchon.

Caterers Potel et Chabot make a huge and wonderfully almondy galette every ear so all can taste a slice for 2 euros.

Elegant family-sized galettes were going like hot cakes. I saw people carrying 2-3 bags of different name pastry chefs, all funds going to, L'Association des POIC.

The galette chefs show up for a group picture plus oysters and champagne. A lovely break in a tough week.

This week Le Figaro did their tasting to choose the best Parisian galette and I've been trying to taste as many on the list as possible. I suggested to Solli we head over to Sebastien Gaudard's new tea salon to try the winner.

1, rue des Pyramides 75001 near rue de Rivoli and lesTuileries.

It's an exquisite boutique.

So pretty.

Naturally we thought we'd try a few other pastries...

Not easy.

The tea salon doesn't open till noon. No café would have us so the Tuileries gardens became our picnic spot.

The pigeons did very well indeed. There's a lot of crust/pate feuilletee on a galette, especially an individual galette which you need to eat with your hands. You take one bite and your entire front is covered with big chunks of crust.

The crows were sad not to share in the feast.

Solli went on her way and I thought I'd just check out Angelina's galette since they made the tail-end of Le Figaro's list.

It's nice when the almond paste is not just sitting on the bottom in a thin layer but threaded throughout. These are a mouthful. I mostly took one bite of the almond paste and could not eat the rest. The pastry is the same as on a mille feuille (thousand leaves). Just too, too much.

Still I'm so enticed by these glossy disks. They are hard to resist. I keep thinking the next one will be the one. I end up with crumbs, crumbs, crumbs all over myself.

I could easily end up looking like Jeff Koons "Galette" lady if this doesn't stop. Fortunately there is the distraction of the little feves or favors that go inside the galette. At Angelina you can buy them separately (24 euros) and completely skip the cake. Who knew there is a museum for fabophiles in Blain. Maybe a very good idea at this point...

La Galette des Rois

La Galette des Rois ,watercolor on Etsy,5.5" x 7.5

Just when you thought the plethora of excessive eating was over.

La Galette des Rois ,watercolor on Etsy, 5.5" x 7.5

Along come the King Cake or La Galette des Rois for Epiphany

Somehow the paper crown always looks a bit askew to me. The general idea is that since the Middle Ages, Epiphany is celebrated on the 12th night after Christmas (January 6th) with a special 12th night cake- this is when the three kings finally show up bearing gifts. So the cake hides a "gift" too, or a favor or feves. It used to be a bean, symbolizing fertility, but things have moved on and now we have porcelaine charms. A PB reader wrote me and asked if I knew where she could get some Epifany charms. The only place I know is via AirFrance's ticket office. Unless you live in Japan. Of course Pierre Herme does a magnificent Galette des Rois, though I've never tasted any of these.

His much coveted charm this year is a little heart.

The idea is some lucky eater at the table gets the little charm in their slice of galette. Then they get to wear the paper crown for the evening, so you really can't taste King Cake alone.

Gerard Mulot has this splendid gateaux on offer...

Patisseriere Sadaharu Aoki takes a different twist on the traditional shape of the French gateaux, making his squarish and filled with green tea paste not the usual almond flavor.

You can vicariously see them all here, unless you live in Paris.... BONNE EPIPHANIE!