Gâteau Pithiviers

The origins of puff pastry are obscure; it is thought to have come from Italy or Spain where it may have been inspired by the Arab skill with sweet pastries (their wafer-thin pastry is made quite differently, however). Puff pastry was familiar to La Varenne, who made it more or less by the classic method, and Carême was a master at it, famous for his lightness of hand. He lists a dozen variations of the puff pastry gâteau pithiviers, which is still made today. “Turns” refers to the r