Galette des Rois (King's Cake)

Since it's Mardi Gras tomorrow I thought I'd post about the Galette des Rois (King's Cake) that I made a while ago.  Full disclosure: I had intended to make the cake at the beginning of January, just in time for Epiphany, but laziness got the better of me.  Luckily the cake is equally appropriate for Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent.  

My first introduction to galette des rois was in Dijon during my junior year study abroad.  I had moved over to France right at the beginning of January and all the bakeries were selling these frangipane filled puff pastry cakes.  I learned at school there was a fève, a figurine or trinket, buried inside each cake and whomever found it was crowned king or queen for the day.  

For my cake I used some homemade puff pastry and the filling came from David Lebovitz.  Most people don't have the time or inclination to make the laminated pastry from scratch, neither do I normally, so feel free to use the store-bought kind.   Be a little stingy when filling the cake with frangipane because you may end up with a bit of an explosion like I had!  In honor of the Lunar New Year I used a tiny ceramic horse to put inside. 

XOXO Cookies for Valentine's Day

Hugs and Kisses to my nearest and dearest on Valentine's Day! 

XOXO,

Treats

Bagels

Bagels - chalk it up to one of those things I normally wouldn't make, since they're so easy to buy, but had to attempt at least once in my lifetime.  I turned to Cook's Illustrated's Baking Book for the recipe and had really fantastic results.  

The ingredients are few and the process is simple but you will need to plan ahead as the dough needs to proof at least 12 hours in the fridge.   Also, a stand mixer is an absolute necessity for this recipe since the dough is much stiffer and drier than normal breads.  

I admit that I don't see myself making bagels often, but if I'm ever hundreds of miles away from the nearest Noah's I've got it covered.    

 

Split-Second Cookies

You've probably seen these treats before on a Christmas cookie platter.  I never knew what they were called until recently when I found a recipe online.  Good thing too because they've become a new favorite!

If you're a fan of jam thumbprints then you'll definitely love split-seconds.  In fact, you may even like them better because they are so simple to make.