Galette Charentaise... Magnifique!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Are we finished with our fabulous French lunch yet?   No… In this part of France there is a traditional cake that is often served with coffee after a meal that may have also already included a cheese board and a dessert.

A “galette” in France is a general term for a baked dish that is kind of a marriage between a biscuit (cookie) and a cake. It’s usually fairly flat, and often looks like it will be really crunchy like a biscuit but when you bite into it  its actually got more of a cake like texture than you would have first thought by looking at it.

Various regions of France have their own versions of Galette,  the “Galette Charentaise” of the Charante and Charente Maritime consists of two main variations: the traditional butter galette and one that also has an additional sliver of almond paste in the middle.

The butter variety also come in thicker and thinner versions, my personal favourite is the thickest version of the butter Galette.

Not this trip, but the one here last year, on the day we were due to make a start for the long haul home, we were visiting one of our French friends for coffee,  after having had lunch at another of our French friends only an hour earlier.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

I was presented with a very large slice of butter galette and tried to diplomatically tell our friend that I’d rather only have a small part of the slice please  because we had just eaten a big lunch at (name’s) place.

The plate, still with the very large slice  on it was shoved unceremoniously back into my hand with the very succinct and brusque directive: “ then don’t eat dinner“.

Yes, this is a typical directness of the French, so as instructed I ate everything on my plate and no, needless to say we didn’t need dinner that evening.

On the following website I found a recipe for Galette Charentaise (in French) which I have hopefully translated half decently into English.

250 g  flour
125 g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 vanilla sugar sachet
100 g butter (softened)
20 g butter (for greasing pan)
1 soup spoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 180 C   (Gas mark 6)
Butter the mould with the 20 g butter.

Beat the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla  together until it becomes light and creamy in colour.
Incorporate the flour little by little , folding in gradually until all the flour is used.
Add the 100 g butter and mix to combine.
Pour mixture into the buttered mould and then sprinkle the soup spoon of granulated sugar over the top.
Cook for 20 minutes until golden brown. After a few minutes carefully turn out onto a cooling rack so that it cools uniformly.
Serve cold.

The original recipe is here in the link:  http://www.750g.com/fiche_de_cuisine.2.123.421.htm

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)