How to make Cannelés de Bordeaux

Making desserts has never been my thing, also in cooking school (highschool) we learned how to make lots of nice desserts it didn’t crumble my cookie 😉 😉 😉 Nevertheless from time to time I like eating like a nice ‘tarte tatin’ or ‘rice pie’… I don’t reallyt make them myself as you can buy them very well prepared in lots of bakeryshops. A dessert or better ‘ friandise‘ I was very keen on learning how to make as you don’t find easily (well prepared ones even more difficult) are ‘Cannelés de Bordeaux’. When a few weeks ago I got served some cannelés at restaurant Ardent and I just had to ask the chef how he made them as even though the recipe isn’t difficult there are always a few tips and tricks you can’t find in books… I even pushed my luck that far on asking him very very kindly if he could maybe show me :-). Lucky me Wouter van Steenwinkel is a very friendly guy who was more than willing to teach me all the tips and tricks to make my beloved ‘Cannelés de Bordeaux’ 🙂 (and to give me a few to eat at home that never got home 🙂 🙂 )

The recipe below is to make ca.75 cannelés. Before we start I must tell you that the batter must be made a day in advance before baking!! The good news is that the batter can be kept for almost 2 weeks in the fridge. It is also advisable to prepare the cannelés in silicone baking tin (if you have stainless steel they’ll also work, but they don’t give an extra value to the result)

Ingredients:

1l milk
100g butter (cut in small dice)
1 dried vanilla fruit (NO EXTRACT, THE ACTUAL FRUIT)
4 eggs
4 eggyolks
500g sugar
200g flour
Brown rum
Salt
Beeswax (for cooking not for cleaning) or butter to grease the baking tin
A needle

Getting Started

The batter:

Put a the milk, butter and vanilla fruit (but open) to a boil on a medium heat

Take a large bowl to make the batter.
Put all the eggs together with the sugar and start mixing them. Just mixing as there doesn’t need to be too much air in the eggs….

Add the flour and a pinch of salt. Mix again until you don’t see the flour anymore.

When the butter had been totally dissolved in the milk add the milk to the egg mix, just a little bit at a time en kip mixing with a whisk(so NOT all in one time )

When you added all the milk add a bit of brown rum. How much is up to you (it speaks for itself that you shouldn’t be adding a whole bottle. Let’s say a shot glass will do 🙂 don’t act as if you don’t have a glass like that at home from a crazy tequila night ;-). Give a last whisk.

Sieve the batter into a bucket or other recipient, something in which you can put the batter to put it in your fridge. Let it first cool down before putting in fridge.

Baking the cannelés:

Pre-heat your oven at 200°C (392°F)
Give you batter a quit little mix with a whisk or ladle.
Lightly grease the baking tine with either melted butter or beeswax

Pour the batter into the forms, but not all the way to the top as the cannelés will grow. SO keep it a few millimeters from the top.

Put in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes
Change the oven temperature into 180°C (356°F)
Open the oven and sting the cannelés with a needle on the sides so they collaps

Close the oven and let them bake for another 30minutes
After 30 minutes turn the form over on top of a baking tray and put the cannelés for a few more minutes (2) in the oven