Galettes all January long
And more ideas to cook this month
Welcome to my weekly Letter from Nettle & Quince, in which I share stories, articles and recipes, as well as restaurants, books, exhibitions, that inspire through the seasons.
Some of the things published in the past weeks:
7 good things in December — How we ate at Christmastime and a stealth trip to Paris, my monthly capture of the best things to remember December by.
Books and forever gifts for the kitchen — I too wrote a last minute gift guide. Useful year round!
It’s free so please do share, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has.
Which galette should we make? Or buy! Epiphany is tomorrow, 6 January, the day in France — now extended to the whole month — to eat king’s cake, ‘galette des rois.’ There is as much pleasure in making one’s own as there is fun in scouting out the best versions in bakeries around town, and every January the burning question is, what shall we do? Ideally, both.
One of the only places to get a galette in New York when we moved there in 1999 was Ceci Cela bakery on Delancey Street, on a liminal sliver of street just steps from the Bowery, not quite in Soho and barely still in the Lower East Side. It had an old downtown feel. A decade later, as galettes became popular and proliferated, it remained our favourite, always worth a pilgrimage downtown.
Here in London something similar has happened in the past ten years. Galettes were available then, but they are a phenomenon now. This list by the anonymous yet ubiquitous man about the London food world @clerkenwellboyec1 is a starting point! I’d add another local North London patisserie, Belle Epoque, which makes consistently delicious galettes too.
But tomorrow I will make my own. Over the years I’ve played with different versions. Most often a simple, traditional almond cream version, though I once made a luxurious one with poached pear, and my favourite, from two years ago, in which tart apple sauce bridles the sweetness of the frangipane. All have almonds because it’s the best part of the galette!
COOK
Galette des rois recipes, neatly gathered in one spot. For more history, rites, and rituals, read this post. [Nettle&Quince]
What should I eat, what colour is my mood? I gathered 12 things to cook in midwinter, by colour. It isn’t as frivolous as it sounds. [N&Q]
Inspired by Korean jjapaguri, Meera Sodha created a noodle bowl recipe with which to curl up on the sofa. It is, ‘much like my hope for the new year, sweet, spicy and exciting.’ [Guardian] [A traditional recipe for jjapaguri can be found here.]
READ
All day snacking, meal-flavoured cocktails, water sommeliers, …, these are some predictions of the food trends for 2024. Yikes. Also, ‘soup’ as a trend. Ha. [NYT unlocked]
In the South of France, three kings cakes take the form of a crown-shaped brioche adorned with candied fruit, similar to Roscon de Reyes in Spain. This in turn was brought to Mexico by Spaniards fleeing the Civil War in the 1930s, where it has become Rosca de Reyes. [NYT unlocked]
Speaking of trends, ‘What wine will we be drinking most in 2024?’ This column by Fiona Beckett separates the fact from the fibs. [Guardian]
And speaking of Beckett, her latest article on Substack is a thoughtful, inspiring solo getaway night at a pub, a reminder that ‘… [D]oing things on your own can be as good as doing them with someone else.’ [Eat This, Drink That]
Mimosas are budding! Welcome January, and a very best 2024.
You've reminded me to go and look at a huge mimosa tree in Barnes.