Insomnia. Four nights in a row of it and I can hardly see straight, my brain is scrambled and I ache all over. If you’ve been inflicted with severe sleep deprivation you know what I’m talking about. In L’Intrus French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy writes:
“…dans “je souffre”, un “je” rejette l’autre, tandis que dans “je jouis” un “je” excède l’autre.”
It seems that within me one “I” is rejecting another “I” because yet another I? is suffering. Clearly a battle is being waged and I think I know what Nancy is getting at but I’m too tired to mull it over properly.
Therefore I will retreat into the culinary zone and offer you an excellent recipe courtesy of my friend Vania, author of several cookbooks, for La Galette des Rois: King Cake. Don’t bother buying yours at the patisserie where they are outrageously overpriced. Follow this recipe and yours will be not only much cheaper to make but wonderfully delicious. Je te le promets!
Recipe for 2 galettes :
4 puff pastries (Picard or other brand)
For the almond cream :
250 grams of softened (but not melted) butter
250 grams of sugar
250 grams of ground almonds (poudre d’amandes)
50 grams of sifted flour
4 eggs (I used three and it came out perfectly so either way)
one vanilla bean
6 tablespoons of rum.
Work the butter with the sugar till mixed well, then add the ground almonds and mix again. Add eggs one by one. Add flour and lastly add the vanilla and rum. Spread the almond cream on a puff pastry till about 2cm from the edges and use egg yolk as a glue to attach the top puff pastry to the bottom one. Brush the rest of the egg yolk over the top of the galette and decorate it with a knife if you please. When the galette is nearly cooked, sprinkle it lightly with powdered sugar and put it under the broiler. Be careful: you need to watch closely so that it doesn’t burn; ca va vite! When the sugar melts take out the galette: it should now have a shiny, pretty surface.
Cook at about 180′ for 20 to 30min depending on your oven.
While you’re working on that, I think I’ll take a nap. If Beastie Boy can afford the luxury, why can’t I ?