The epiphany is fast approaching. This year, Lyon Capital went to meet the famous Lyonnais house Bouillet in order to unearth the secrets of its galette des rois.
No respite for Maison Bouillet, after the end-of-year festivities, the teams are getting back to work to prepare the more than 10,000 galettes des rois sold on the occasion of the epiphany. This year, Lyon Capital set out to unearth the secrets of designing the delicious galette from pastry chef Sébastien Bouillet.
A careful recipe
A PDO certified French butter puff pastry, carefully selected flour, a frangipane composed of raw almonds and white almonds, all lightly rum and vanilla, here is the recipe for the delicious Bouillet galette. Cooked between two plates for 45 minutes for a more compact consistency and a caramelized taste, the pancake is prepared each year in the house’s workshop located in Miribel.
A recipe in constant evolution, in search of perfection : “Our frangipane is one of our flagship products, we try to improve it every year by adding more almonds for example” explains pastry chef Sébastien Bouillet. “I think that the specificity of our pancake comes from the almonds and the puff pastry made with quality butter”he continues. A traditional recipe, very popular with Lyon residents: “Every year customers look forward to it, there are orders from December, we started offering it in stores yesterday and we sold 200” says Grégory Corail, head of the Croix-Rousse store.
Sold straight out of the oven
Designed by night teams, the cakes are delivered to the stores early in the morning. “We have a first delivery in the morning, then the teams make three or four other passes, in order to offer products that come out of the oven throughout the day,” explains Sébastien Bouillet. Logistics coordinated with the various store managers in Lyon: “We call the laboratory when we need to rotate stocks, this helps guarantee fresh products to customers”shares Grégory.
Each Bouillet pancake contains one or more beans depending on the format chosen. If last year’s theme on the city of Lyon was a great success, it is on the theme of the mountains that Sébastien Bouillet decided to focus this year’s theme. Skis or even gondolas are slipped into each cake, an aesthetic treasure, signature of the house: “The bean is not as important as the pancake, but we really have a strong demand for it. Some customers collect them and aim to collect them all” explains Gregory. A treasure that even motivates some to purchase: “Some people buy several cookies to get all the beans, some even call us after the epiphany to find out if we have the ones they are missing.” says the manager.
And for those who are not fans of frangipane?
Even if the main request remains the traditional frangipane, favorite of Sébastien Bouillet, the pastry chef offers two variations. You can then find in stores the tatin-style pancake, composed of a caramelized apple compote, made in the “chausson” spirit. But also the famous “brioche des rois” with creamy salted butter, coated with milk chocolate and hazelnut pieces.
For a classic frangipane pancake, you will have to pay from 22.60 euros to 54 euros depending on the format. For a tatin-style pancake from 22.60 euros to 34 euros and 28 euros for the “brioche des rois”. Single portions are also on sale in Bouillet “snack” shops.
Chef’s tip: for better tasting, Sébastien Bouillet recommends preheating your oven to 160 degrees, turning it off once hot, then reheating your pancake for ten minutes.
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