Cannelés

Cannelés are French pastries that originate from the Bordeaux region, known for their crispy crust and soft, moist interior. However, I cannot refrain from suggesting some Italian touches that you might want to explore after trying the classic recipe, such as using a cream pastry lightly flavored with lemon or orange for a citrusy hint.

Here is the traditional Cannelés recipe:

Ingredients

• 500 ml of whole milk
• 1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 50 g of butter
• 250 g of powdered sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 140 g of type 00 flour
• 2 large whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 100 ml of dark rum

Preparation

1. In a small pot, heat the milk with the split vanilla pod and the butter until almost boiling. Then remove the vanilla pod (if using vanilla extract, add it to the hot milk).
2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the eggs and yolks and mix until smooth.
3. Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg and sugar mixture, stirring constantly.
4. Add the rum and mix until a fluid batter is obtained. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for several hours).
5. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. If you have special cannelés molds, grease them with butter and pour the batter up to 3/4 of the mold’s height. If you don’t have specific molds, you can use silicone muffin molds.
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 220 °C, then reduce the temperature to 180 °C and continue baking for another 50-60 minutes, until the cannelés are well caramelized and crispy on the outside.
7. Remove from the oven and let the cannelés cool in the molds before unmolding them.

Trivia

Cannelés have an interesting history: they are said to have originated in the Saint Eulalie Abbey where the nuns used egg whites to starch clothes and the remaining yolks to make pastries, including the Cannelés. Originally, they were prepared in small copper molds to achieve the characteristic dark and crispy outer crust.

If you want to explore an Italian alternative, you could enrich your batter with grated citrus zest or serve the Cannelés with a chocolate sauce or an orange or lemon pastry cream. Have fun and enjoy your tasting!