The region’s culinary specialties: Galettes Saint Michel

A little history: according to the brand’s website, they were invented by a master pastry chef named Joseph Grellier, who worked in Saint Michel Chef-Chef in the 1900s: “He possessed the secret recipe for round, melt-in-the-mouth, golden Galettes St Michel, which he lovingly baked in his wood-fired oven. It was in July 1905 that Constance, his wife, had the idea of selling them with her cart to the beautiful ladies of Paris, who came to take sea baths on the coast”. This was obviously a big hit with gourmands! We also learn that the seal on the galette depicts the archangel Saint-Michel overcoming the devil, but that Saint-Michel also refers to the Patron Saint of pastry chefs.

Ingredients (for 35 cookies) 125 g semi-salted butter, 100 g light sugar, 200 g flour, 1/2 level teaspoon baking soda, 3 tablespoons milk, 6 drops natural vanilla flavouring
For the gilding: 1 egg yolk, 3 tablespoons milk

Preparation: Preheat oven to 180°C (gas mark 6). Melt the butter. Add the sugar so that it melts into the butter. Mix the flour and bicarbonate in a bowl. Add the butter-sugar mixture, milk and vanilla flavoring. Shape into a smooth ball. Roll out with a rolling pin on a floured work surface, to a thickness of about 3 mm. Cut the patties with a canteen glass. You can decorate them by engraving things on them with the tip of a knife or with cookie cutters. Brush them with the egg yolk beaten with the milk. Bake for 15 min. Leave to cool on a wire rack (if gourmands don’t drop by first… and if you manage not to eat them all during the day, you can store them in a metal tin!)