Nine Galettes des Rois that move away from the classic concept

Epiphany is an important date for French pastry chefs. For this reason, it is increasingly common to find Galettes des Rois that are surprising on an aesthetic and gustatory level, moving away from the more classic concept.

In this ranking we show nine proposals that break the mold, some because of the choice of ingredients (citrus, chocolate honey, vanilla, cedrat…) and others due to their appearance.

Cédric Grolet is inspired by Ice Age

Cédric Grolet and his executive pastry chef François Deshayes have been inspired by the animated film Ice Age to create the Galette des Rois at Le Méurice Paris. A piece that harks back to the hazelnut of one of the emblematic characters of the saga:Scrat the squirrel.

At the level of flavors, simplicity rules. A flaky and crispy brioche filled with a creamy hazelnut cream.

Christophe Michalak thinks about chocolatiers

In Christophe Michalak‘s catalog of Galettes des Rois, we find the Façon Bounty, designed for chocolate lovers.

The ingredients? Caramelized puff pastry, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence almond cream, milk chocolate ganache, and coconut praline. A different and delicious option to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men.

Floralie, the floral galette from Peninsula Paris

With Floralie, Anne Coruble, pastry chef at Peninsula Paris, not only pays tribute to nature, but also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the luxurious hotel.

This delicate and elegant galette is composed of puff pastry flavored with hazelnut and lemon zest. Shaped like a flower with ten petals, inside it contains a frangipane cream with raw or toasted almonds, honey from La Luzerne (Normandy) and recovered from an opaline from Presqu’île de Miel, cultivated in the beehives of the hotel’s vegetable garden. It is accompanied by a Marais honey caramel and Isigny cream with calendula flowers and Tahitian vanilla.

The fruity explosion of the Maison du Chocolat

Nicolas Cloiseau, from La Maison du Chocolat, presents a galette that is surprising on an aesthetic and gustatory level.

At the heart of it we find almond cream mixed with Sicilian mandarin pastry cream tempered with a 75% dark chocolate ganache, without a doubt a fruity and fresh explosion. As the cherry on top, a crown of dark chocolate with emulsified mandarin juice.

Quentin Lechat chooses vanilla as the main ingredient

For Quentin Lechat, vanilla is the diamond of pastry chefs. For this reason, he has not hesitated to use it as the main element in the Galette des Rois at Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris.

A piece that is composed of vanilla and marron glacé frangipane, fluted croissant puff pastry, vanilla praline, split marrons glacés, and chestnut petals.

Lenôtre is reminiscent of the Menton brioche

Lenôtre pastry chef Etienne Leroy launches the signature galette that celebrates the maison’s culinary heritage and is inspired by the iconic Menton brioche, popular for its crunchy texture as well as its subtle aroma of orange, grapefruit, cédrat, and Menton lemon.

To start, this creation is composed of a brioche bathed in cédrat syrup and a cédrat confit, whose acidity combines perfectly with the frangipane with almond cream, also flavored with cédrat. Everything is wrapped in an inverted puff pastry with Charentes-Poitou butter.

Mr. Gâteau by Cyril Lignac

Cyril Lignac moves away from the galette and opts for the Gâteau des Rois. Made with brioche dough with Charentes butter and delicately flavored with orange blossom, it is decorated with candied oranges, sugar grains, pistachios, and caramelized hazelnuts.

The love story between Jean-Paul Hévin and Paris continues

The love story between Jean-Paul Hévin and Paris seems to have no end. What’s more, the pastry chef wanted to dedicate his galette des Rois to the capital of France.

At the top of the galette you can see the silhouette of Paris under the snow, the crown evoking the city’s skyline and the bean reproducing its coat of arms. In terms of ingredients, it is composed of simple puff pastry with dark chocolate, almond cream covered with Grand Cru chocolate chips from Peru,  and Grand Cru dark chocolate cream from Peru.

Alléno & Rivoire’s play of contrasts

Yannick Alléno and Aurélien Rivoire present a Galette des Rois that combines almond cream with sugar-free chocolate cream. The fondant interior contrasts with the light and crispy puff pastry made with chocolate corn. In addition, all of it is sprinkled with grated cocoa.