After all the Champagne toasts, and after the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, you may be looking to turn over a new leaf, perhaps detox after all the frivolous feasting, and kick off your New Year’s resolutions (chief among them: lose those 10 lbs). Or not. January in France isn’t really about dieting. Rather, Epiphany season brings the “Galette des rois” to the table. Think Mardi Gras-style “king’s cake” with a cheesy trinket baked inside-- but made with flakey pastry and stuffed full of divine French frangipane.
If you’re traveling to Paris in January for the annual sales, consider stopping by Le Meurice-- the legendary palace hotel facing the Tuileries garden— to taste their “Galette des Reines” (“Queen’s Cake”)-- a gourmet twist on the classic cake, with a very special charm by Tiffany & Co. hidden inside the cake. For the fourth consecutive year, Head Pâtissier Camille Lesecq has imagined a very fabulous galette: made with chocolate flaky pastry filled with frangipane, sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts, and topped with whole hazelnuts. And the charm inside? It’s a signature yellow Tiffany’s key. So take your chances and see if your slice of cake will turn up the magical gold jewel! Available in the restaurant Le Dali from January 2nd to 22nd, 2012. Price of a slice: 14 euros.