Pithiviers

Technical stages for Pithiviers :

• Prepare the puff pastry. Cut it in two and keep half of it refrigerated.
• On a floured counter, roll out the other half to 3 mm thick. Flip a 22 cm (8,66 inches) pie pan on the pastry and cut a cirlce along the rim. It wil lbe used as the bottom crust of the pie. Wrap around a rolling pin and unroll on a slightly greased baking sheet. Keep in the fridge.
• Take the other half of the pastry out of the fridge, roll out to 5 mm thick and cut another 22 cm (8,66 inches) circle. wrap around the rolling pin and keep it like that in the fridge.
• To prepare the almond cream, mix the sugar and butter until creamy and foamy. Add the other ingredients and mix quickly. Let it to set in the fridge for an hour or two.
• Take the baking sheet with the bottom pastry out of the fridge and put almond cream in its center.
• Take out the other pastry and unroll it on the first one, pressing the sides with slightly floured fingers to make them stick. To improve the gluing, you can also glaze between the two layers.
• Cut the rim with a sharp knife into strips. Put in the fridge for 20 minutes, and preheat the oven at 220°C or 428°F.
• Take the pie out of the fridge. Glaze its surface, avoiding leaks beyond the rim that would prevent it from rising uniformly.
• With the back of a knife, draw 3 mm-deep curves going from the middle of the pie to the ends of the strips, like drawing a flower. Put the cake in the oven for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 200°C or 392°F and bake for another 40 minutes, until golden.
• Take out of the oven, sprinkle with icing sugar and put it back in, turning the temperature to maximum or turning on the broiler to melt the sugar. Transfer onto a rack to let it cool. Serve warm or cold.