Azoresgal~Life on an Island

 A Happy New Year to you all! The French Galette des Rois or “King Cake” celebrates the end of the Christmas season, on Epiphany January the 6th. It is made with two layers of puff pastry and filled with frangipane, a thick, sweet paste made from almonds, butter, eggs and sugar, and it is oh so delicious!   Tradionally baked inside the galette is a feve  (a broad bean), and when the galette is sliced, and divided up by the number of people present, the youngest child of the family gets to decide who has which piece and the person who gets the fève in their piece of cake gets to be crowned King or Queen, and is in charge for the day! Now to avoid a trip to the dentist, just place a piece of candied fruit, an almond or a rasin instead of a feve. This is the first time I ever made a Galette, and I am so pleased with it! I was scared to make one, I thought it was complicated, but you know what it's not! Lots of little steps, but nothing you can't do I promise! ...

This simple tart, is out of this world, it's a favorite dessert at our house. It's a Portuguese classic, it has a rich, crumbly, buttery cookie-like base. The topping is.... dreamy, it's caramelized, crunchy and nutty. Really easy to make, you don't even need a rolling pin for the crust. Hardest part, just keeping an eye on the topping once it goes into the oven, you don't want it to burn. The tart  has a wow-factor- it not only looks delicious, it tastes amazing.  Trust me,you will have to make it, and see for yourself ! Crust 1 egg 150 grams sugar/ 3/4 cup  125grams butter, soft/ 1/2 cup  ½ teaspoon salt 200 grams flour/ 1 and 2/3 cups 1 teaspoon baking powder Almond topping 125 grams sugar/ 10 tablespoons 125 grams butter/ 1/2 cup 4 tablespoons milk 200 grams blanched, slivered almonds ( a little under 2 cups ) pinch of salt Preheat oven to 180C/350°F. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg,  and sugar until uniform. A...