Emily in France 🇫🇷 When Is a Galette Not a Galette?
When is a galette no longer a galette?
Daria Morgendorffer has long been my soulmate, but perhaps no more than when she quipped, "I didn't like kids even when I was a kid."
Look, it's taken me a long time to age into my personality (some would argue I haven't quite gotten there...). But the fact remains that if we're hanging out on the reg, there's a certain crotchetiness you're jsut going to have to get used it.
I feel less crotchety than curious, however, when I consider the humble galette.
The cake of Epiphany has certainly gotten a lot of attention, of late, expanding far beyond the confines of the 6th of January – and, indeed, beyond the confines of puff pastry and frangipane. This year, I've seen not just galettes but doughnuts, cupcakes, and éclairs des rois, and while I'm all in favor of more frangipane in any form, I also wonder how far one can deviate from tradition while still calling something a galette.
I'm not looking to point fingers, but I do have a few examples from my own personal tasting experience.
Last year, one of the galettes that I was most excited to try came from Babka Zana – and that's no surprise. Not only do I love this bakery's eponymous babka and rugelach, but the galette's sesame seed filling was definitely on brand for me. But while I loved the flavor of this one, the brioche texture felt like too clear a departure from tradition. It wasn't that I disliked it; it was that it didn't feel like a galette.
It's exactly the feedback I got from some clients on a recent private tour of the 10th arrondissement, when I brought them to one of my favorite bakeries, Sain. The galette here was made with buttery, flaky puff pastry and frangipane, so it definitely felt like a galette to me, but studded, as it was, with chunks of pineapple, not to mention coconut and turmeric, my very French clients confessed they remained unconvinced.
"It's a very nice cake," they said. "But it's not a galette."
What do you all think, friends? Where does the galette end and the cake begin?
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Cheese of the Week
Brie isn't just a cheese, in France. It's a whole category, encompassing the briny Brie de Meaux, the assertive Brie de Melun, the milder Brie de Nangis, the buttery Brie de Montereau, and more. This Brie fermier doesn't have its own name, as it's made by just one producer who also happens to be a vendor at one of my favorite markets – the one at Place Maubert. Made in the style of Brie de Meaux but with the milk of Salers cows, it's a lovely raw milk creation I highly recommend!
(And I swear – Manu is far friendlier than he appears in this photo.)
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.
What I'm Eating
I don’t often find myself dining in the Latin Quarter, but I probably should: After all, this historic district is where many of the folks I take on tours choose to stay, and it would be a good idea for me to have a few great addresses in my back pocket. Luckily, I stumbled into one thanks to a friend and colleague who suggested we check out the lunch prix fixe at Affinité, the sister restaurant of Michelin-starred Alliance just steps from the Panthéon, which proved to perhaps be the best bang for your lunchtime buck. More on the blog.
Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france and on the blog.
Where I'm Going
1. To Bokko, to scratch my eternal itch for Korean food.
2. To Monbleu, for a raclette sure to provide the perfect counterpoint to these frigid winter temperatures.
3. To London, which is apparently just as freezing as Paris.
What I'm Writing
1. Paris is a haven for those with a sweet tooth, boasting a host of pastry shops to discover, each more tempting than the next. From hazelnut praline Paris-Brest to decadent chocolate éclairs, from simple madeleines to ornate, cream-filled Saint-Honorés, there’s truly something for everyone. Here's a list of my top spots for Fodor's.
2. This one-time pro racecar driver made a very weird, delicious pivot. (Out of one kind of pit, and into another.) For InsideHook.
3. This chicken sandwich recipe is worthy of its Michelin-starred creator. For InsideHook.
What I'm Reading
1. Given how much I read, it's alarming how many gaping holes there are in my personal library. Case in point: Until recently, I'd read no Joan Didion. Run River has been intermittently on my to-read pile since this summer, but rather than apologize for my own tendency towards literary procrastination, I'll admit I'm glad I waited until winter to finally dive into this moody character study rife with unlikeable and thus all the more intriguing people.
2. I have long resisted speaking on the phone, but I was already leaning into it – and happily – before reading this story on the health benefits of nurturing friendships, and I for one can say… I’m a convert. In the Washington Post.
3. Albert Camus’ l’Etranger is one of the most widely read novels among learners of French, and I personally remember devoting more than an hour in my high school French class to discussing just the first line. This story explores why thus far, this famous sentence has yet to be adequately translated into English. In the New Yorker.
A bientôt !