Adopt The Tradition of the Feast Of The Magi And The French Galette Des Rois Recipe

French families have an Epiphany tradition to celebrate the Magi each January 6. Even non-religious families celebrate because they have such fond childhood memories and the galette, a covered almond tart or pie, is so good that they just can’t leave it only to the Christians.

I think you should adopt it too because your children will love the game (adults enjoy it too) and all your taste buds will rejoice. The recipe is easy and fast too if you don’t have a French bakery near you.

You’ll have to “draw a king.” After a fancy holiday dinner, everyone eats the Galette Des Rois (Mages). Inside the covered pie is a “feve” or a small ceramic figure or even just a fava bean or button. The figures are traditionally of the Baby Jesus, but can be of any of the nativity pieces, of a champagne bottle, a lucky clover, a horseshoe or anything symbolizing good luck for the New Year.

The mother or hostess cuts and serves the pie pieces while the youngest child gets under the table or simply closes his eyes to tell the server to whom each piece should go to without being able to peek at the little hidden figure.

When someone finds the figure, they are crowned King or Queen and everyone toasts to them with Champagne or non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider, and none will prevent you from drinking soda or milk if you prefer. Each time the King drinks everyone says “The King drinks!”

Then that person discretely places the figure in the glass of someone of the opposite sex so that the King has a Queen or vice versa. Everyone waits for the Queen to find her figure in her glass and when she drinks, everyone says “The Queen drinks!” The King and Queen wear their crowns all evening.

When children are participating, the mother strategically makes sure that one of the children gets the treasured figure. Should a parent accidentally become King, that parent should make a child the Queen (or King or Prince), NOT his spouse.

The game is rigged, but the gullible children have no idea and believe that each year they are just the luckiest kids in the whole wide world and it makes them quite happy and excited. It also boosts their self-esteem in a safe manner. You could crown all the children or even everyone present too.

When the game is played only among adults, it is often agreed upon that the King or Queen will host the Feast of the Magi the following year or bring next year’s galette or pie to the party, and everyone looks forward to more good times among good friends or family.

Whether children or adults, the King and the Queen are supposed to have good luck all year long!

You will need 2 crowns. Your children can easily make them out of paper and decorate them by drawing jewels or using stickers or gluing plastic jewels or sequins. It’s an easy and fun craft. Otherwise you can find crowns from the most basic paper to fancy gold plastic or even velvet ones at a party or costume store.

For the figure you can use a bean or a button. Be sure to warn everyone so there is no tragic chocking! If you decide to play each year, you can even buy tiny figures on-line like the ones in the photo or even outside France at some French bakeries. E-Bay also auctions them as they have become collectibles.

Here’s the recipe:

Galette Des Rois
For 4-6 people

• 2 circles of store-bought puff pastry
• 1 1/2 cup of powdered almonds
• 1 1/2 stick of butter (melted)
• 3 eggs
• 1 heaping cup of granulated sugar
• Natural flavoring to taste such as orange flower water, rose water, pure vanilla extract, rum, Amaretto or Grand Marnier

Mix the sugar, butter, 2 eggs, almonds and your chosen flavoring. Evenly spread the mixture on one of the puff pastry circles. Insert your “feve” or a button or bean, and cover with the second circle. Make a pleasant design on the top with the tip of a knife and paint with 1 egg yolk. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden at 325-350 degrees F. depending on your oven.

It is best served warm. You can also serve at room temperature.

Bon Appetit and Bonne Fete Des Rois!!

No Nativity For Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury says there was no virgin birth, no magi (only a legend), and no star, among other blabberings.  This is coming from a religious leader of the Christian faith, but since atheism keeps creeping into our churches, even an Archbishop no longer believes in the biblical nativity.  I found all the details on Tad Cronn’s blog, so head over there to read his editorial on the Archbishop’s heresy titled The Archbishop of Can’t Be: Atheism in the Church.

Thursday Thirteen #11 — Classic Christmas Books

Welcome back to Thursday Thirteen! You might also be interested in yesterday’s post for Works For Me Wednesday which is also a list of thirteen Christmas ideas. Happy Thursday Thirteen!! And wishing you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

1. ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore
2. Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
3. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
4. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
6. The Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffman
7. Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck
8. Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien
9. Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury
10. Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco
11. Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
12. Rudolph: The Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert Lewis May
13. Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus by Francis Pharcellus Church

If you are interested in Christmas Ideas or Household Tips, just click below.

Reusing Christmas Cards

Where’s Santa?

Magic Reindeer Food

Advent Calendar Chain — Easy Children’s Craft

Every Cookie Recipe Imaginable

Favorite Christmas Movies

Using an Advent Wreath as a Devotional Tool

Write a Santa Letter to Your Children

Holiday Shopping List

Holiday Decorating Tips and Ideas

HOUSEHOLD TIPS

Ten Minute Recipe

Egg Tip

Bookcases at the Breaking Point?

Organizing Household Binder

Trading Card Storage

Freezer Solution

Large desk calendar inside guest closet

Child’s haircut without tears

Homemade bread stuffing

Plastic colander bath toy drainer/holder

Reuse plastic grocery bags in the car

How to increase Web site traffic?

16 Blog/Web site tips

Toy storage

Every Cookie Recipe Imaginable

Black Friday Holiday Shopping

Hooray! Atheist movie bombs!

On opening weekend the atheist assault on the Christmas season, “The Golden Compass,” bombed at the box office taking in only $25,783,232 at latest count.  The trilogy’s plot is about two children on a quest to kill God, which Philip Pullman wrote in a jealous response to C. S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

By comparison, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” earned $65,556,312 on its opening weekend and earned an approximate total of $800 million worldwide, proving that Christian viewers will indeed bring in the big bucks despite Hollywood’s anti-values drumbeat.

Because of “Compass'” very soft opening on a weekend with no competition, sources from New Line, the studio, have already been quoted saying that they are unsure the next movie in the trilogy will get a green light.

“Prince Caspian” is coming out in 2008.

The New Yorker has described Pullman as one of England’s most outspoken atheists.  The Washington Post quoted him in 2001 as saying, “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.”  He continues “I’m not in the business of offending people.”

I think that he does a fine job of offending Christians for an amateur.