Twelfth Night Galettes & the Christmas Jinx

Part I: Individual Chocolate Twelfth Night Galettes

Or

Perfection manifested

I decided to attempt the twelfth night galette with the puff pastry I made way back during the Chuseok holidays. Also known as galette des rois, it is the French version of the “king cake” that is enjoyed on the twelfth night of Christmas. (I actually know nothing about the twelfth night of Christmas, except that you should expect a dozen drummers drumming.) When it comes to food, French cuisine is undoubtedly the best. So perhaps this is the king of king cakes?

Instead of the usual almond filling, I used hazelnut, since it goes so well with chocolate (and because I had it in my freezer).

These designs are traditional too, though, again, I don’t know what they stand for. Being so scrupulously faithful to traditions the meaning of which I know not… Must be a strange personality trait.

Crispy deliciousness with rich, nutty, chocolate paste… They were absolutely delightful! So delightful, in fact, I’d like to make these again for the actual twelfth night of Christmas, whenever that is! All despite the fact that I don’t really like hazelnut. (I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’m not a big fan of Nutella. Or Ferrero Rocher. Don’t hate me.)

I’m really glad I got to share these with my friend, who I only get to meet once in a blue moon~ Especially considering what happened to the other twelfth night galette…

Part II: Christmas Flops

I saved most of my morel mushrooms for a special occasion, and what’s more special than Christmas? Despite all the helter-skelter of packing, I saved a day of nothingness for some Christmas cooking. This tiny “[spring] windfall morel quiche” is probably the most expensive pie in book, what with its Alaskan midnight-sun-dried mushrooms and all. They’ve really traveled a long long way to end up in my stomach!

But it was a bit disappointing; the filling never gelled and the morels had a “deeply earthy” taste (probably a little burnt). How’d that happen?

And this was only the prelude to the Christmas dessert disaster.

The “original” twelfth night galette

Ruined.

The pan twisted early on during the baking and the top slid right off the bottom! (I actually yelped as my heart fell about a mile.) And the exposed almond filling burned. And the egg glaze burned, too. Indisputably the worst disaster of the entire project. Spectacular, almost!

This, on top of last year’s disappointing Christmas éclairs, has me convinced that I have a Christmas baking jinx. Oh dear…!

Fortunately, the galette didn’t taste half bad with all the burned portions scraped off.

A Christmas miracle, perchance? :D

Open-Faced Double Strawberry Pie

Fresh strawberries in the middle of winter! Seriously, how spoiled is modern man?

The filling was two-tiered; a cream cheese-white chocolate base was slathered with strawberry goop!  Yum!

With the obligatory scoop of ice-cream (store-bought, as I’ve made my way through all the stand-alone ice-creams in the book!) 

I hosted a small potluck for my colleagues before we disperse throughout the globe. It will be very interesting to meet up again somewhere in the geographic middle, though I wonder where that would be? Somewhere in the Middle East, perhaps? Haha!

And some light custard rhubarb tartlets for those who couldn’t make it.

Completely redeemed rhubarb for me:)

Mini Pie Party

Happy New Year to all! Though my blog is still hopelessly stuck in 2013… Well, I am having the busiest month of my life, packing and unpacking and then repacking all my stuff, saying good-byes, getting immunized against diseases I thought were extinct, and just generally getting ready to move to Rwanda. (I guess I may have to change the name of my blog soon?) And of course I squeezed in as many pies as I could in my final month in the land of the morning calm. It was quite a challenge acquiring some of the ingredients here in Korea, but I’m thinking it’ll be even more so in the land of a thousand hills. Oy!

Apple Weincreme Chiffon Tart

Probably the most elegant pie I made. *Ever*

The apples were poached in Riesling, and the chiffon was lemon-apple-Riesling flavored.

It was garnished with the only newest buds of apple mint.

It tasted like a dream. One of the ones you never want to wake up from!

The second pie: fresh strawberry and rhubarb tart

It’s also achieved in two layers; a cooked rhubarb filling is topped off with fresh strawberries. And served with a scoop of pineapple ice-cream.  What a brilliant combination (suggested by the Pie Bible, of course)! It definitely stood its ground against the chiffon tart – less wistful and more confidently pie-like and good:)

What yummy times are these!