Chocolate Galette w/ Pistachio Frangipane & Griotte Cherry

choco-galette-12

All i wanted was an excuse to make a pistachio frangipane. The obsession started after i came across Tartelette’s and Melanie’s versions of galette des rois with pistachio frangipane. It looked so delicious i lost sleep over it. As i was laying in bed awake i flipped through the pages of Pierre Hermé’s chocolate book and came across his chocolate puff pastry recipe. I thought..”Heck.. I can’t really go wrong with a flaky, buttery chocolate puff pastry filled with a rich pistachio frangipane and griotte cherries, or can i?” It worked like a punch in the face. I slept like a baby afterward.

I made the mistake not to read Pierre Hermé’s recipe thoroughly before launching operation choco puff. And that’s the equivalent of a jumping off a cliff without a parachute, my friends. My experience with puff pastry so far has been what i learned in cooking school. Make the dough, incorporate the butter, roll, give it two turns. Rest for 20 min. 2 more turns. And repeat for a total of 6 turns. In one and a half hour, including resting time, you have a perfectly delicious puff pastry made from scratch. At least that’s what i believed until i tackled Pierre Hermé recipe…

I don’t know how to break the news to you but Pierre Hermé has planned YOUR day differently. Try one turn. 2 hours rest. One turn. 2 hours rest etc..  If you include the initial rest and baking time that’s a total of 14 freakin’ hours, umm.. and that’s after letting the dough rest overnight. Just tell your dinner party guests they will receive their dessert via messenger service… within 2 days!

choco-galette-3

Yes, i did obey Pierre Hermé’s instructions like a good soldier. But i cursed, and i cursed.. Oh God.. you don’t want to know how much i cursed. Do i regret it? ..err.. no. It was good. Very good. I never doubt Pierre Hermé’s genius, i just have to plan ahead next time. The rich pistachio filling did a brilliant job as a supporting actor without ever overshadowing the star, the choco puff. Melanie’s idea of putting a griotte (i used griotte cherries in syrup) was the perfect surprise in the middle.

If you plan on making this recipe go ahead my friends, but make sure to stop taking your OCD medication, call in sick, cancel those gym appointments, make an extra pot of coffee and notify your dog he won’t get walked in the park that day. I hope he doesn’t bite!

  • Chocolate Galette w/ Pistachio Frangipane & Griotte Cherry

  • Chocolate puff pastry recipe adapted from Pierre Hermé
  • Pistachio Frangipane inspired by Helene & Melanie
  • choco-galette-2
    • For the chocolate puff pastry:
    • 420 grams all purpose flour
    • 185 grams cold water
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 70 grams, unsalted butter, melted and cooled
    • 425 grams butter, softened
    • 50 grams cocoa powder, sifted
    • For the pistachio frangipane:
    • 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup ground almond
    • 3/4 cup ground pistachios
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 1/2 cup griotte cherries in syrup
    • choco-galette-6 choco-galette-8 choco-galette-10 choco-galette-11

      For the chocolate puff pastry:
    • Place flour in a large bowl. Dissolve the salt into the  water . Make a well and add this to the center of the flour. Start mixing the flour and the water together with your hands until they form a mass. Add the melted butter.
    • Knead the dough for a few minutes and shape it into a rectangle (it won’t be very smooth but that’s ok!). Refrigerate overnight.
    • Cream the butter until smooth in your KitchenAid with the paddle attachment. Add the cocoa powder and combine. Wrap it in a slightly smaller rectangle than the dough and refrigerate.
    • The next day, roll the dough to a rectangle that is about 1/3 inch thick  and 12×7 inches. Place the chocolate butter on the bottom half of the dough. Let it soften to rolling consistency.
    • Fold the top of the dough over the chocolate butter, pressing down to seal the edges and create a packet. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.
    • When ready to proceed, on a well floured surface roll out the dough to a rectangle that is 3 times wider than tall. 7×21 inches. Fold the dough like a business letter, bringing the top third over the middle and folding the bottom on top of it. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Take note that you made your first turn.
    • Repeat 6 more times, always giving it a quarter turn before starting rolling again (the side that looks like the binding of a book should always be to your left when you start rolling). Refrigerate the dough after each turn.
    • Keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to a week and up to one month in the freezer.
    • When ready to use, roll out the 1/3 of the dough (reserve the rest for other uses). Using a pastry cutter to make 16 circles. Garnish 8 of them with a heaping tablespoon of pistachio frangipane. Place a griotte in the middle. Brush some eggwash around the edges and press the top pressing around the edges to make it stick.
    • Preheat oven to 375″F. Bake on a silpat for 20 minutes.
    • choco-galette-41
    • For the pistachio frangipane:
    • Place the butter, sugar, ground almonds, ground pistachios and the eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until emulsified and smooth. Add the flour and pulse until combined. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Be Sociable, Share!

Tags: ,

  • http://www.shesimmers.com Leela@SheSimmers

    This has got to be one of the most perfect things (*most* perfect – how redundant …) I’ve come across on all of the food blogs. Now that I know the result is worth the time and energy investment, I’ve just added this chocolate puff pastry to my must-make-before-2010-ends list.

    Good to know I’m not the only one who lies awake at night reading Pierre Herme.

  • http://www.gourmetfury.com Melody Fury

    Was just enjoying some pistachio gelato (my fav flavour) and how I wish I had your galette to accompany it. Frick 😐 I can’t bear to read your blog sometimes. It makes me kinda depressed that I can’t enjoy something so amazing.

  • http://ciaochowlinda.blogspot.com Ciaochowlinda

    It looks like it was all worth it. Anytime you need someone to help you eat the leftovers, give me a buzz.

  • http://jenncuisine.com Jenn

    Ooh chocolate and pistachio, one of my favorite flavor combinations! These galettes look just heavenly.

  • http://www.mytartelette.com Tartelette

    Love the analogy of the cliff and the parachute :)

    Ca c’est bien beau mon coco et je pari que c’etait bien bon aussi!

  • http://www.my-easy-cooking.com nina

    I was actually trying to be a good girl on this Monday morning and now you show me this……no Zenman, that is not nice!!!! Yum!

  • http://culinarytypes.blogspot.com T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types

    Given my current time crunch, I will have to enjoy your work – and thank goodness you are here for us suffering through those sleepless nights!

  • http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/ deeba

    Oh I’ll give up my daily routine for these. I’ve been eyeing them off Helen’s too. Zen, Mr Man, these are GORGEOUS!

  • http://www.foodgal.com Carolyn Jung

    I’m exhausted just reading about how much work these were to make. 😉
    But they are gorgeous, especially with that deep green pistachio frangipane. I’ll have to start stocking up on my sleep ahead of time in preparation to make these.

  • http://powderate.blogspot.com Lee Ann

    Chocolate butter for puff pastry … lots of turns, but you pressed on. We did in culinary schooltoo and as an apprentice at Le Crocodile Restaurant with chef Michael Jacob it was my job to run over to Bon Ton bakery where we had a standing order. Seeing you do it with chocolate is an inspiration. Thank you Lee Ann.

  • http://MyKugelhopf.ch Kerrin @ MyKugelhopf

    This is hysterical, I love it. And love the look of those chocolate galettes. Now you’re going to keep ME up at night thinking about them. Such a fun read – and an excellent warning too.

  • http://www.tofuandcupcakes.com aubrey

    These look mouth-watering! I have a friend who is deathly allergic to pistachios, I truly feel sorry for her looking at these galettes.

  • http://dolceinewyork.blogspot.com Dolce

    I was not as daring as you were and baked a regular frangipane galette last Saturday. But it was still good to the last crumbs!

  • http://manggy.blogspot.com Manggy

    And how can this not be recipe of the day? Or rather, make that recipe of TWO days 😉 (rimshot. thank you i’ll be here all week!)

    I love how the griotte gives it an eye of Sauron appearance. It certainly is tempting me to be eeeevil! Gluttony, of course 😉

  • http://www.melaskitchen.blogspot.com Mélanie

    Oh, elles sont trop belles ces galettes!
    Heureusement que tu nous as prévenu pour la pâte au chocolat, parce qu’avec ces photos j’étais prête à la tenter…
    (bon, je viens d’apprendre la pâte feuilletée classique en cours. je vais pê y aller doucement…)
    En tout cas merci d’avoir pensé à ma recette :)

  • http://mllenoelle.wordpress,com noëlle {simmer down!}

    Silly, don’t you know that no one actually MAKES the recipes on food blogs… they’re just there to drool at- kind of like window shopping at Prada.(well, your blog would be like Prada, mine would be more like a funky thrift store…) :) I love eye candy and window shopping though, that’s what keeps me coming back for more!

  • http://www.noobcook.com noobcook

    oh gosh two days in the making! no wonder it looks so so perfect and yummy :)

  • http://aapplemint.com Kate/Kajal

    Wow thats one hellva frangiepani … n a shit load of hard work ! but worth every bit of it. They look absolutely irresistible Stephan, n i know your weakness for pistachios, still waiting for that pistachio ice cream you were making :p

  • http://baconandrhubarb.blogspot.com Rachel (S[d]OC)

    Helen’s recipe looked pretty good, but I think you have her beat here. What’s better than a huge chunk of butter? A huge chunk of butter with CHOCOLATE in it!

    Now you are going to be keeping me up at night with ideas for things to do with pistachio frangipane. I’m not sure I’m ambitious enough to make my own puff pastry.

  • http://ouichef.typepad.com Oui, Chef

    Zen – A good soldier indeed. Glad to hear that your efforts were well rewarded though. What a fabulous looking creation, the flavors of which remind me of the buche de pistache that I make Arthas for his birthday cake! Very well done, master!

  • http://dodol-mochi.blogspot.com/ Pei-Lin

    OMG!! I’d die to have some! Zen, O, Zen! May I? Pretty pleaseeee …?

  • http://joylicious.net Joy

    What a beautifully delicate dessert — the time and passion definitely shows here. I can only imagine how good these are, lucky you’re not my neighbor…I would feel no remorse if I invited myself over and polished off every single one :)

  • http://tenina.com Tenina

    If there was ever a doubt about you being the perfect man…all dispelled…who loses sleep over a chocolate and pistachio confection but the perfect man??

  • http://rasamalaysia.com Rasa Malaysia

    Zen, everything you make is so sophisticated you should change your blog to Sophisticated Zen Cooks.

  • http://www.ambitiousdeliciousness.com Esther

    Hi Zen,

    I came across your site through Marc’s. BEAUTIFUL photos! I can’t wait to try these!!

  • http://www.mattikaarts.com/blog matt

    wow, this seems like a complete mission! making regular puff has scared me off for years, the choc version? er… blimey.

    love looking dish though mate, wish I could taste it!

  • http://www.bigboysoven.com Big Boys Oven

    I just love the combination of this two colours, elegantly classic!

  • http://www.domino-design.nl Andrew

    what about working in shifts with a group of people to make them… I’ll be on the last shift and eat them all…. they look too good….

  • http://www.clumbsycookie.blogspot.com clumbsycookie

    My idea of a perfect man has to be a cross between you and Pierre :)

  • http://tokyoterrace.com/2009/11/04/argentine-empanadas/ Tokyo Terrace

    Wow! Absolutely beautiful! I think I’ll leave this to the pros- like you :)

  • http://cakeonthebrain.blogspot.com cakebrain

    zowee! that looks gorgeous! such vivid colours!

  • http://www.butterflyfoodie.blogspot.com Ash

    attempting to make my own puff pastry is an absolute fear of mine… although by the looks of this is could persuade me.

  • http://www.shesimmers.com Leela@SheSimmers

    To be perfectly honest, I know it’ll be a while before I can summon up enough courage to tackle the chocolate puff pastry. But the pistachio frangipane? Me want some now.

    Teach us how to make griotte cherries from scratch, O Great One. Will you please? Had them in France and loved them. Other than in a for-chefs-only catalog, I have never seen it sold anywhere here. I bet they’re expensive. :-(

  • http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com Lynn

    High fives to you for tackling this one. A pain, but definitely worth it from the looks of it.

  • http://www.miaking.com Mia King

    Oh this looks amazing. You’ll make it for me when I see you, right? 😉

    Your Foodbuzz link goes to gummy bear land — how can I find you there?