cannelés



Cannelés are some of my favorite French pastries: these little cakes, which are caramelized and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, have a taste very similar to that of crepes (thanks to the vanilla and rhum). They work very well as a light dessert, or to complement coffee or tea. This Bordeaux specialty dates back to the 16th century, and has religious origins. The most famous cannelé maker in Bordeaux is called Baillardran. They have a great website, which I invite all of you to check out.

Last month, we were happy to host our nephew Louis, who grew up in Bordeaux. He knows we are big cannelé fans, but instead of bringing us some, he decided to give us a challenge and bring us a set of beautiful Baillardran copper molds.

It took me a few weeks to take on this cannelé challenge, and last week his lovely girlfriend Enora, who is currently staying with us, helped me prepare the delicacy. It turned out not being too difficult, aside from finding the right oven temperature so that the cannelés get their nice crust and golden brown color. Also, you need to prepare the dough one day in advance and let it rest in the fridge. I guess the most difficult part is probably to find the copper molds. You can get them at Williams Sonoma, and also find the plastic version in cooking utensils stores, such as Sur La Table, but, after all, looking for cannelé molds might also be a good reason to visit France and the beautiful Bordeaux region!

Ingredients (makes 12 regular size cannelés):
500g milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250g sugar
125g flour
6 egg yolks
50g butter
1 tbsp rhum

One day before:
In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla extract.
In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar and flour. Add the egg yolks and combine. Add the hot milk and mix well with a whisk. Add butter, rhum, and mix.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge.

The day after:
Before using the cannelé molds for the first time, you need to cure them: preheat the oven at 200C (390F). Put some vegetable oil in the pans and sick in the oven for one hour. Do not use butter, otherwise it would burn in this hot temperature. Take the molds out, wipe with a tissue paper. They are now ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 220C (430F). Give the cannelé mix a good stir. Put butter or spray Pam inside the molds. Put them on a baking sheet. Pour the mix into the molds (they should not be completely full).
Bake for about one hour: 20 minutes at 220C (430F) and 40 minutes at 160C (320F). If they are not brown enough, take the heat back up to 220C for a few more minutes.

Remove from the molds while the cannelés are still hot. Let them cool down.