October 3, 2005
Canelés
I tasted my first canelé some seven years ago, at Eric Kayser's boulangerie on rue Monge. Maxence had a friend who lived nearby, they often worked on school projects together, and whenever they felt like a break and a snack, this is where they would go. Maxence adored their canelés, ordered them often, and made me try them.
Delicious. Simply delicious. Canelés (alternate spelling: cannelés) are made from a batter that resembles a crepe batter. It is poured into copper molds of a special cylinder shape (sort of like a short section of a Roman tower) and baked at a high temperature until a very caramelized crust develops, hiding and protecting a moist, tender and slightly chewy heart. The batter also calls for vanilla and rum, so canelés are intensely flavored but not too sweet, and they have a freshness, a cleanness of taste that makes you want to eat half a dozen in one sitting. But of course, um, you don't. You do, however, eat them for breakfast, dessert or just a snack in the afternoon.
Canelés are a specialty from Bordeaux that dates back (most likely) from the 18th century. It remained pretty obscure for centuries until a brotherhood of the canelé was created to promote it in the 80's. Their efforts were very successful and the canelé came back in style over the following years -- it can now be found in almost every boulangerie in Paris. (A cynical and/or well-informed friend told me once that pastry stores loved canelés because they keep really well and you can just keep selling the same stale ones for days before you have to throw them out.)
The traditional canelé is made in copper molds, but those are pricy and rather tedious to use (you have to butter them like your life depends on it), so nowadays home bakers use silicon molds -- not exactly the same results, but good enough. Maxence had bought such molds at a market stand on vacation a few years ago, and we had tried twice to make canelés with them. Both times were screaming fiascoes and we couldn't understand why, so we decided to blame it on the recipe and the molds, and we moved on with our lives.
But I could never quite let go of the dream to recreate canelé goodness in my own kitchen, and over time it dawned on me that it wasn't the recipe or the molds that had failed us on our two first attempts -- it was the oven. See, my oven is a liar. You preheat it to a certain temperature, and it beeps enthusiastically to say it has reached said temperature. And you, you're sweet and naive, you've not yet been embittered by the corruption of this world and you jump on your feet, you put your cake/cookies/canelés into the oven, you gaze at them through the door, and you smile an optimistic smile. But remember, the oven is a liar, and in fact it is way colder than it says it is, and after the indicated time your baked goods will be far from ready, and you won't understand why until you have the idea to purchase an oven thermometer and suddenly, with a cold sweat trickling down your back, you discover the whole scheme. Then you will learn to deal with the deceitful oven, and you will understand that of course, your canelés could never have baked right at such a low temp.
And so a few days ago, I decided to tackle that recipe again, trusting the oven thermometer not the oven, and whipped up my first successful batch of canelés, to the combined delight of Maxence, our neighbors and myself. The batter is so easy to put together it's really laughable, and then it's just a matter of waiting -- for the batter to rest, and for the canelés to bake and cool down. They keep very well for a few days in a metal box: the crust will soften (some people like that) but you can just put them back into the warm oven (say 200° C, or 400 °F) for five minutes and then let them cool again before eating: they will regain some of their original crustiness.
Canelés
- 1/2 liter (2 cups) milk
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) semi-salted butter, diced
- 1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 100 g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 180 g (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) sugar
- 3 eggs
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) good-quality rum
Yields about 20 medium canelés.
Combine the milk, butter and vanilla in a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, combine the flour and sugar in a medium mixing-bowl. Break the eggs in another, smaller bowl, and beat gently. When the milk mixture starts to simmer, remove from heat, fish out the vanilla pod if using, and set it aside.
Pour the eggs all at once into the flour mixture (don't stir yet), pour in the milk mixture, and whisk until well combined and a little frothy. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod with the dull side of a knife blade, and return the seeds and pod to the mixture. Add the rum and whisk well. Let cool to room temperature on the counter, then cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
The next day (or the day after that, or the day after that), preheat the oven to 250° C (480° F). Butter the canelé molds if they are made of copper (unnecessary if you're using silicon molds). Remove the batter from the fridge: it will have separated a bit, so whisk until well blended again. Pour into the prepared molds, filling them almost to the top. Put into the oven to bake for 20 minutes, then (without opening the oven door) lower the heat to 200° C (400° F) and bake for another 40 to 60 minutes (depending on your oven and how you like your canelés). The canelés are ready when the bottoms are a very dark brown, but not burnt. If you feel they are darkening too fast, cover the molds with a piece of parchment paper.
Unmold onto a cooling rack (wait for about ten minutes first if you're using silicon molds or they will collapse a little) and let cool completely before eating.
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Comments (79)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Cookies & Small Cakes - Recipe Inside! - [favorites]
My oven too is a liar, so I know exactly what you're talking about, Clotilde. I have never eaten canelés before but I could almost taste it from the photo and your description above. Another thing that I simply have to try one day, thank you for this post.
Posted by OsloFoodie on October 3, 2005 12:02 PMThose canneles look wonderful! I have never tasted canneles but have read about them a lot in the food blogging community and have developed a yearning to try one.
All the recipes I have found seem very daunting though, what with the special copper molds and besswax, etc. You make it sound quite easy to whip up...now if only I could find those molds (copper, silicone, or otherwise) in my side of the world...
Posted by joey on October 3, 2005 12:02 PMIls ont très fière allure !
Posted by Casseroles2Nawal on October 3, 2005 12:34 PMThey are wonderful. They look like "real" as those I see in the pastries, here in Bordeaux.
Posted by papilles et pupilles on October 3, 2005 12:40 PMCongratulations
Look fantastic. My oven also lies - I always set it to 20°C higher that any recipe calls for, and then it works fine.
Posted by Craig on October 3, 2005 1:28 PMMmmm, I love caneles (posted about them, too: http://www.pertelote.org/august05.html ). I'm glad to hear the silicon moulds work - I'll have to pick some up on my next trip to Paris...
Posted by jenni on October 3, 2005 1:46 PMClotilde, did you use dark or light rum? I am not sure if this makes a difference, but perhaps it does?
Posted by radish on October 3, 2005 2:22 PMClotilde -
Thank you for the recipe! My wife and I just got back from Paris where I purchased a silicone canele pan. They seemed to be "mini" canele as the pan holds about 24 or so. Is your recipe for those small ones or larger ones? Do you have a baking time suggestion for the small ones?
Congrats on the book deal. Best wishes,
Kevin
Posted by Kevin on October 3, 2005 3:13 PMAlas, it's not that the oven is lying, it's simply poorly informed. What the beeping is telling you is that the air inside your oven has reached 250C, but the moment that you eagerly open your door to pop in your little treats, all that air is now gone. A reasonably modern oven is likely accurate to within 5C if you use a big oven thermometer (something I recommend, separate from the deceitful internal one).
The bigger problem is thermal energy -- all that air is gone, and there is nothing, save some coils, or gas burners, to recover it. Instead, let your oven come up to temperature, beep it's merry beep, and then allow it to continue sitting for another 10-15 minutes minimum (for things that are very sensitive, I go 30 minutes, and often don't touch the recipe until after the oven is heated).
By allowing it 15-30 minutes to "sit" at full temperature, the mass of the oven -- the huge doors, the floor, the walls -- will absorb huge amounts of heat, and will allow the oven to recover its temperature much faster. This is often why, when baking cookies, the second batch is better than the first. The oven is now stabilized.
Posted by petrilli on October 3, 2005 3:17 PMLooks tempting, Clotilde. For those interested Bourgeat make a silicone mini-canales pam, which can be found at some interenet vendors.
Posted by Neil on October 3, 2005 3:20 PMHi Clotide,
Posted by eva on October 3, 2005 4:01 PMThey look wonderfull, would love to try and make them, do you need molds that leave you with a hole in the middle or could you use other silicon molds as well?? Congratulations on the book deal! Best wishes, Eva
mmm the burnt caramel at the top would be delicious. are canelés able to be filled with custard, chocolate or a preserve? or would that me offending the canelé purists?
Posted by saffron on October 3, 2005 4:03 PMSo glad they worked out for you! I remember reading a pretty long thread on Egullet about caneles and how difficult they can be to recreate in the home kitchen. Apparently there's a great recipe and technique in Paula Wolfert's cookbook on slow Mediterranean cooking. Yours looked absolutely authentic and delicious!
Posted by Luisa on October 3, 2005 4:07 PMGreat picture, love the idea of the caneles, I must try them at home.
Posted by Bill on October 3, 2005 4:36 PMAt risk of giving away the fact that I'm an engineer... the reason that people recommend that you place a brick or two in your oven for baking bread is exactly due to the oven temperature problem. The bricks absorb heat, and when you close the door, the oven returns to temperature really fast, solving the problem. (This is the reason why cast-iron ovens -like the AGA- are so good for bread, they absorb so much heat that the temperature holds). /end-of-lecture!
oh how I LOVE canelle. My french friend, Sylvain, here in SF has the proper moulds and we keep meaning to make them. But we are lucky as we can buy such delicious one from the 'Boulangerie de Polk' it almost seems not worth the effort.
One day, I will try it. one day...
Posted by sam on October 3, 2005 4:49 PMthe bakery in my neighborhood (which, admittedly, is in portland, oregon) claims to bake theirs in beeswax-lined molds. not sure if this is common or traditional, but theirs certainly have a nice honey perfume, and a slightly crunchy/waxy exterior (or maybe that's my imagination).
Posted by deensiebat on October 3, 2005 6:33 PMRadish - I used light rum, and thus discovered that our liquor cabinet hold 4 different brands of it -- what's up with that? :)
Kevin - My mold holds 15 medium ones, and I got about 20 from this recipe. For small ones, I would suggest shortening the second baking time to about 30 minutes, but a visual test (the dark brown bottoms) is your best indicator.
Petrilli - My oven beeps even though the air inside isn't at the right temp (from what my especially purchased oven thermometer tells me), and it's also on the small side, so it doesn't really retain much heat from the door and sidesnot really big enough. What I do is I set it to a higher temp *and* leave it on preheat for a while longer. Now that I have the hang of it and have done so innumerable times, it's not really a problem anymore.
Eva - The canelé molds will give you the traditional shape (but this you can certainly do without) and just the right ratio of crust to tender interior, but I'm sure you could try these with any shape of mold (muffins for instance).
Saffron - They don't really need a filling in my humble opinion, and since the batter is somewhat thin the filling might sink during the baking. However, a famous maker of canelés (Baillardran) makes chocolate flavored ones, probably by just adding cocoa powder to the batter. They're really good, but I still prefer the plain ones I think.
Deensiebat - I have heard of the beeswax tip too and bought a can of it (it's a spray thingy) but I used it for half of my production without any noticeable difference. My guess is that it's more for copper molds than silicon ones...
Posted by clotilde on October 3, 2005 6:48 PMI love cannelés, but have always been so hesitant to make them since I've heard that they're tricky. But you make it seem so easy that I'm tempted, too tempted now, to make a batch (or 4).
Posted by Gloria on October 3, 2005 7:38 PMI have read somewhere of a trick to get that beautiful crust with silicon molds, whose fast cooking tends to lead to burnt canelés ! just lightly grease the molds, and sprinkle with very fine sugar. It works pretty well, and does not add too much "sugaryness" to this delightful cake.
Posted by sylvie on October 3, 2005 7:45 PMThe Kayser on rue Monge is a bakery I visit a lot! I've had the caneles there and they are still magically delicious.
Posted by Coquette on October 3, 2005 8:45 PM"Cannelés" is not an alternate spelling, it's the only correct spelling. And I don't think real "cannelés bordelais" are vanilla flavoured. I usually bake plain cannelés (no vanilla), but sometimes for a change I add small bits of "pruneaux d'Agen" soaked in Armagnac (I don't remember where I got the idea). Not that it is very genuine nor "bordelais" either, but at least it has a "Grand Sud-Ouest" touch to it. ;-)
You're right, it's tricky to make them at home, but it's worth it. And it's almost impossible to get a perfect crust with silicon moulds. But when the cannelés stick, cleaning metal ones is hellish, so...
Bonjour, Clotilde. J'aime beaucoup ton blog, mais je suis une "lurkeuse" de nature. Ton blog est tellement soigné que ça me faisait tiquer de voir "cannelé" systématiquement mal écrit (déformation professionnelle sans doute). Aujourd'hui j'ai craqué. J'ai habité 4 ans à Bordeaux il y a une quinzaine d'années, je n'ai jamais vu "cannelés" écrit "canelés" jusqu'à ce qu'ils deviennent à la mode à Paris. Voilà, c'est dit. Je retourne dans ma tanière.
Posted by Urraca on October 3, 2005 9:12 PMDear Clotilde,
Would you indulge a little clueless American whingeing for a moment?
I almost never eat dessert, and certainly never visit boulangeries or bakeries of any kind, and probably, in my whole life, have tasted fewer pastries than you routinely feature in a single week.
When I visited Paris a few years ago, I did not even eat a single croissant because they are so high in fat.
Yet despite years of diligent exercise and diets of all descriptions, I have never been as slim as you. I stay away from the high-calorie delights you often feature, and my life is sadder as a result, yet I am significanlty bulkier than you. In fact, I think that even a very charitable description of my figure would have to include the word "fat."
How can this be? Is it possible that, when you snack on these delicacies you so frequently describe, you take one tiny bite and then, with restraint and self-discipline that is utterly unimaginable to me, throw the rest away?
Or do you (more believably) hire chubby people like me to do your tasting for you, reserving for yourself the task of transcribing the flavors and testures they report?
So many things about your life seem paradisal and unreal to me, not least your ability to enjoy so many delicious, high calorie foods while retaining your elegant figure.
Yours very truly,
Fat and Confused.
Posted by victoria on October 3, 2005 9:19 PMYummy. The lovely Cannele. J'aime les canelles. I am going to try and make some with my hens eggs and some fresh vanilla puree my friend John makes (and so nicely gives to me).
One question, does that batter have to sit for the whole 24 hours? Have you tried it in less?
Ciao for now,
Posted by happenstnace on October 3, 2005 10:22 PMMaureen in Oakland
Salut! What a thrill to see a piece on canneles (sorry, my U.S. keyboard can't do the accent). I've mooned over these for years, to the point where a friend gave me a silicon mold pan and a recipe and told me to give them a crack. (This is after my merciless commentary on the inability of New York bakeries to do a truly caramelized, almost burnt-tasting, hard exterior.) The silicon molds really don't allow for a crispy exterior. (In fact, that's my complaint for silicon madeleine pans too, they don't give you that little crisp fluted edge.) But the delicate, not-too-sweet flavor... fabuleux! Thank you for the recipe, Clotilde; I'll have to try another batch. Et bon anniversaire au C&Z!
Posted by Jenji on October 3, 2005 11:45 PMj'ai pris quelques centaines de grammes lorsque c'était devenu mon goûter journalier lors de mes vacances au Pyla. Mais quel régal ! Rien que de les voir, j'en bave :-)))
Posted by Jean-Paul on October 4, 2005 2:32 AMDodo
I have 2 of the silicone molds (got them either at Fantas or Wm Sonoma) but have never tried them. Will go home tonight and mix up a batch - tomorrow night will have baked goodies.
Thanks for the recipe.
Maureen
Posted by Maureen on October 4, 2005 4:42 AMOh! I love caneles!
I had my firdt taste of them in Arcachon with some friends last summer, but I hadn't been able to find a reliable recipe.
I'll have my husband bring some of the solicon moulds back with hiom when he returns from Paris on Thursday. I'll send him to le bon marche, I assume he'll be able to find them there... (it being the source of all things good, in my opinion... including a DELICIOUS pain au chocolat that we ate in the sun on Saturday morning...)
Posted by Cat on October 4, 2005 9:24 AMUrraca - Thanks for your comment and for delurking! About the spelling: I used to write "cannelé" too, and then found several sources that said that the original name centuries ago was "canelat" with just one "n" (a Gascon word). Then different spellings were used over time, with one or two n's and sometimes even a "t" at the end. Cannelé, cannelet, canelé, canelet. In 1985, when the confrérie du can(n)elé was created, they decided to drop one of the n's to go back to the original spelling, and this is the name that they registered as a collective brand at the INPI. But in any case, I have found that there really are several accepted spellings, the only thing is to be consistent -- I try to be. And the prune version sounds delicious! Do you just plop them into the molds when they are filled?
Victoria - It's a tricky question: balance and a favorable set of genes play an important part I think. A few fellow French food bloggers and I participated in a roundtable earlier this year about the so-called French paradox -- maybe you'd be interested in reading it? Here's a link: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2005/03/so_do_we_or_do_we_not.php
Happenstance - All recipes I've ever seen always called for letting the batter sit (just like a crepe batter). I'm sure someone (Alton Brown or just a food scientist passing by) could tell you why (something about the flavors developing, or maybe the flour setting, who knows), I just do it as a little ceremonial for good luck -- besides, it really builds up the expectation!
Cat - Yes, le Bon Marché will likely carry those molds!
Posted by clotilde on October 4, 2005 10:02 AMHmmm, and here I always thought that there must be something cinnamon-y about cannelés (je suis d'accord avec Urraca à propos de l'orthographe), but I guess there would be two Ns. Funny, I have never once tried a cannelé, but I've seen them around in bakeries and even at Intermarché.
I guess I'll have to indulge next time I see some. And if I find a mold somewhere, I might have to give the recipe a try.
Posted by Alison on October 4, 2005 10:09 AMVery nice recipe and presentation.
You see, I miss France everytime I read this blog.
Posted by Farid Zadi on October 4, 2005 11:53 PMI ran the post in japanese through Babelfish (any fan of Doug Adams around here?) and here's the result I got :
"Live kyat amateur sprouting free live kyat junior high school student live kyat, live kyat club reverse side angel!"
and it is signed, predictably :
"Live kyat amateur"
By the way, one kyat is equal to 100 pyas. Pya coins exist, but are rarely seen, according to Wikipedia... Oh, how I love this ! It's the currency used in Myanmar. And what is Myanmar ? Yes, one could spend one's life jumping from reference to reference, as from one stepping stone to another across the infinite river of trivial knowledge...
Posted by Your papounet on October 5, 2005 1:33 AMthese look fantastically good! and I have never heard of them before ...
Posted by Becca on October 5, 2005 2:20 AMYour canneles seem to have better structural integrity than mine:
http://tomness.blogspot.com/2004/10/canneles.html
Posted by Tom Meg on October 5, 2005 5:02 AMmy bakery used to make these. william lehman would make them. they were wonderful. now i make chocolate for my master.
Posted by Jeff Fairhall on October 5, 2005 10:20 AMClotilde, as-tu recu l'email que je t'ai envoye (je pense) lundi? Je suis une copine de Pim qui passe a Paris samedi faire un p'tit tour des cremeries parisiennes. Ca t'interesse?
NJ
Posted by Nathalie Jordi on October 5, 2005 1:04 PMClotilde, this reminds me of the ones you tried at the Salon Saveuers! I am so impressed that you've managed to reproduce them correctly, as I could tell you were an extremely hard critic of badly-made-cannelés!! Congratulations!!!
Posted by Meg on October 5, 2005 3:33 PMFunny, from their name I expected them to have cinnamon in them somewhere.
Posted by Ant on October 5, 2005 8:43 PMThat's done it. You've introduced me to another french pastry and I'm supposed to be de-toxing. look forward to reading more. also great photography. S
Posted by ivyparis on October 5, 2005 11:07 PMlaugh laugh laugh that's what I'm doing after scrolling through the previous comments, on my way to writing my own.
(and does the translated Japanese one, remind you of a recent odd email from me?)
For your papounet: Myanmar is the "new" name for Burma, or Byrmani in French. Oddly enough I just had to enlighten my French class of the exact same thing, last week. Love that zeitgeist!
Posted by Alisa on October 6, 2005 4:30 PMDishonest appliances always think that they have you fooled - good thing you got your independent thermometer and showed it who's boss!
I love these too even though I don't normally have a sweet tooth... Don't know if this tip is helpful or not, but when I worked at Les Ormes in Paris (ever been there? Great grub!), Chef Molé always used older eggs for his batter and they were really good... We served them everyday and I must have made hundreds of them, all in the silicon moulds. They seemed to brown okay, but then again we did have a big, hot oven... My home oven is like yours, small with an inaccurate internal thermostat. So oven thermometer it is for me too.
Posted by Vivilicious on October 8, 2005 12:55 AMOK, even though I can buy authentic caneles at any one of Pascal Rigo's bakeries/cafes that are within a mile of my home, I'm ready to start making them at home with my brand new caneles pan. Clotilde, I wonder how many caneles pans you've sold this week!
Posted by spot on October 8, 2005 3:18 AMDo these gems taste anything like churros? They look like they could... mm, delicious.
Posted by josie on October 8, 2005 12:34 PMAfter reading I have to try to make them. I just wrote down the on line vendor quoted by Neil in an early posting and I shall place an order.
Posted by valentina on October 10, 2005 12:57 AMAfter trying all the cannelés of Paris (at least those of the most famous bakeries), I recommend Fauchon's cannelés! The crust is perfectly caramelised, and just a little crunchy, but inside it is fresh and moist, and tastes of rhum but not too little contrarily to most cannelés, and it is not too sweet (a common defect).
Posted by Erika on October 11, 2005 12:21 PMBefore that give a try to the strawberry foie gras, along with half a bottle of the white wine they recommend.
Fauchon is not only for tourists, they have some talented people working there too, and more than able to satisfy the gourmands gourmets. After all, Pierre Hermé worked there for 10 years.
Chere Clotilde, I was very excited to read your article on "canelles". I never had any while I lived in Paris years ago. But I was fascinated with them as they smell ( I saw none!) so delicious. I bought silcone mold & I made them. Wow, they are delicious as I imagined. People just love them but no one wants to make them. Your recipe sounds much simpler & better than the one I had which I can't find it at the moment. So Off I go to the kitcken to make them, Merci, Clotilde, elizabeth
Posted by elizabeth on October 11, 2005 6:36 PMI just love caneles (sorry, I can't get the accent in on the 2nd 'e'). Your post reminds me of the fabulous time I had in Paris earlier this year on vacation where I must have gained at least 5 pounds in 10 days and making sure I tried out every single delight at the patisseries. We can't get good ones here in Singapore sadly. I will hunt around for the silicone canele moulds. I'd seen some in Paris and now totally regret not having bought any.
Posted by sharon on October 12, 2005 4:03 AMDear Clotilde, congratulation for 2 years anniversary! I do enjoy reading your web. Yesterday was a gloomy day but my canele batter has been resting for few days so I made them. They are fantastic!! Took me a long time to do it as my silcon mold makes 18, so I made another tray & still some left......I like your recipe the best. Thank you, wish you can taste my caneles.....elizabeth
Posted by elizabeth on October 16, 2005 6:55 PMIntrigued by your posting, I noticed that Ken's Artisan Bakery (a little bit of France) in Portland, Oregon has them. Yesterday we tried them and they are spectactular! They made me feel that
Posted by louise on October 25, 2005 2:07 AMI was back in France.
I adore caneles! I love anything plain vanilla if it's really done right. For lack of alternative, I make them in a NordicWare pan that has 6 decorative mini bundt molds. I do grease it seriously with a stiff (cheap) pastry brush, and it's still a pretty new pan, so they usually pop out with only a little coaxing. But the designs are nice on that oh-so-golden crust. The only downside (if you can call it that) is that they come out a little big, so we often end up slicing each like a tiny cake (and then proceed to eat the equivalent of three whole ones).
-- Elin
Posted by ElinMarti on October 28, 2005 1:38 AMHi Clotilde
The canales look fabulous. My friend and I managed to acquire some good copper canale moulds direct from Mora which then travelled all the way to SE Asia. :)
We have a question though - the first attempt at making the canales resulted in canales that were very very difficult to unmould despite much buttering. Would you advise adding more butter/oil or lowering the temperature of the oven? So far the canales have come out in bits... :(
Posted by s on January 16, 2006 8:30 AMThanks!
For those who live in the US and are just dying to get canele pans, you can actually get them at Target now. No need to order them from expensive specialty stores or hand-import your own from France (as I did!). Target doesn't know what to use them for, so it calls them "Cylinder Pans".
Posted by Annick on February 21, 2006 11:29 PMThat was very funny! All my ovens in various apartements have lied to me. Luckily my mother, experienced and wise as she is, gave me a oven thermometer to prevent baking disasters. I love canelés, too. Yummy.
Posted by Therese on August 17, 2006 11:54 AMLes caneles are my most favourite item of french pastry (among many)! When I lived in NYC, I would stop by Balthazar Boulangerie to pick up the limited 8 or 10 they make each day. But now that I moved back to Toronto, I don't think I have yet found a place that makes them . The owner of the preeminent Patachou Patisserie told me she was originally from Bordeaux, but that her pastry chef is from the French Basque country (which explains the wonderful gateau Basque). She said she is considering adding les caneles to her repertoire (as she should to honour her roots, I good-humouredly reminded her). I always ask whenever I am in there just so she wouldn't forget!
Posted by Andrew on November 25, 2006 4:42 PMSorry Urraca, canelés is indeed the correct spelling, the only one which was approved by the "Canelés de Bordeaux" brotherhood. Moreover to be called canelés de Bordeaux, this little pastrie need to be made with 2 flavors, not less, not more: vanilla and brown rhum. Otherless, the name canelés de Bordeaux cannot be used.
Elodie a "Bordelaise" in exil in NYC and soon a US canelés seller...
Désolée de te contredire Uracca mais canelés est bien l'othographe correcte qui a été aprouvée et déposée par la confrérie des canelés de Bordeaux. De plus leur cahier des charges stipule que le canelé doit être fait à partir du mélange de deux saveurs (pas plus, pas moins), de la vanille (en gousse) et du vieux rhum agricole (donc brun). Si ces conditions ne sont pas repectées, le nom canelé de Bordeaux ne devrait pas être utilisé.
Elodie, une bordelaise en exil à NYC et bientôt productrice de canelés aux US
Posted by Elodie on December 12, 2006 6:11 PMIn case you were wondering what that Japanese post said (instead of the Babelfish version), it had to do with free, live chats with middle school girls or the with the "bad" side of sorority-girl angels. I wouldn't bother mentioning (because it is obviously spam) except that I thought it was ironic: when I was reading your post, I kept thinking of how caneles were pretty popular in Western pastry shops in Tokyo when I lived there. (They preferred the double-n spelling, btw.) Actually, French pastries are generally popular in Tokyo. (Much to my suprised delight.)
Posted by Stacy on December 15, 2006 6:33 AMThanks for letting me know, Stacy, I've just deleted that comment.
Posted by clotilde on December 15, 2006 10:39 AMI have my first taste of caneles last January when I was in Paris. I loved it so much that I ate it almost every day for a week. It is indeed one of the most delicious pastries/cakes in the world.
Posted by ming_the_merciless on January 14, 2007 10:29 AMHello,
Is butter better than bee's wax to line the copper molds?
Marika
Posted by Marika Ujvari on January 14, 2007 4:17 PMI just typed in "do silicone moulds give same results?" in Google, and landed up on your site, and weird though it is, in my mind (though I never typed it), the reason why I wanted to check is because I have never owned a silicone mould, and wanted to buy one, to produce the exact same delicacy that you have so wonderfully depicted, that delicious eat-ten-of-them-or even-fifteen-at-a-go canelé bordelais! I was wondering if silicone moulds could give canelés that chewy texture that makes me want to throw my Weight Watchers plan to the wind. Now, here is a lovely site! Thanks for making me feel like running out to the nearest bakery!
Posted by soumya on February 19, 2007 2:24 PMThank you soooo much!!!I made your recipe yesterday,purely delicious!!!I would even say they are better than the ones from our local boulangerie(I live in South Kensington,London,where there is a very high number of french delis,boulangeries and other shops)
Posted by Joana on June 5, 2007 10:02 AMThe inside was light and tasty,my house had this delitious smell of caneles for severakl hours after
Thank you Clotilde ;)
Hi there,
just wanted to confirm that the Kayser's canelés (I live right next to the Kayser bakery rue Didot, in the 14th arrondissement) are the best !
Posted by bidiba on June 25, 2007 6:48 PMI love this site!! I happen to stumble across your site and i am so gonna try these canelés out!!
I'm interested in knowing where can i get similar Molds like the one you used for your canelés. They just made it look so crispy!!
Posted by Sharon on August 11, 2007 9:48 AMHow do you think they'd turn out in mini-cupcake molds? Perhaps lined with a silicone mold. I have recreated some desserts from my trip to Bordeaux (mmm macarons) but was a little intimidated by the need for proper copper canelé pans.
PS I don't think they are meant to be crispy!
Posted by Sophie on August 16, 2007 5:58 AMI just made a batch of caneles for a breakfast treat! I probably broke every rule in the book, using: no rum, substituting some brown sugar for the sugar, and using cupcake molds. But they were still addictive and delicious. My only problem was that the inside was too custardy and the outside was a little too charred. oh well. next time i will use mini muffin tins. i'm actually thinking about investing in a set of canele molds.
Posted by Vicky on September 15, 2007 6:45 PMmmm...........
In my search for a way to make canele in my home kitchen, I'm having a hell of a time finding the traditional copper molds. Any suggestions...
- Farmer
Posted by Farmer de Ville on November 26, 2007 6:33 AMHi Clotilde,
I tried your caneles recipe and it worked brilliantly - my French friend, who adores caneles commented that they were better than the ones from popular French boulangerie (the one you find branches in all good areas of London), so they must be good:)
My English friends were also impressed and wanted the recipe, so I recommended your books/blog.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Posted by Cheeks on December 22, 2007 4:52 PMI am looking forward to your next book on Paris, too.
The comment on how they keep was puzzling, because in my attempts to make them they are wonderful during the first twenty minutes and rubbery after that. A local bakery's are the same rubbery type. But Lenotre in Ikebukuro, Tokyo makes wonderful caneles that last a long time (although if you get them hot in the late morning they are best).
During a brief "canele boom" among bakeries in Tokyo a few years back also Lenotre made chocolate canele, and I tried a "yuzu" version (with zest from a kind of Japanese citrus fruit) that was nice (during the first twenty minutes, at least).
Posted by Mark on January 11, 2008 5:32 AMYour canelés look absolutely delicious! I am now looking to canelé pans so I can bake them as soon as possible.
A trip to Paris is in the plans for the future and certainly I will make sure I visit the bakeries in search of canelés.
Posted by Liliana on January 30, 2008 2:45 PMI finally got my hands on one of those silicone molds and made cannelés on friday. I agree with everything that you say except that I do eat six in one go (mini cannelés but still) so somebody take that box from away from me, please.
Posted by Honeybee on March 25, 2008 8:33 AMI've got your recipe resting in the fridge right now. After completing the recipe I did more research. Reading through the exhaustive discussion at egullet I noticed that most recipes use just a bit of rum while yours uses quite a bit. I'm not complaining but wondered if it could be a typo?
Posted by GAETANO on October 15, 2008 1:13 AMGaetano - It's not a typo -- that's how I like my canelés! But if you prefer to make a first batch with a bit less rum, it will work fine, too.
Posted by clotilde on October 15, 2008 10:57 AMClotilde,
Thanks for follow up. I did use your recipe exactly. The results were quite impressive. The first batch was a bit underdone. The second batch I gauged visually and they were very delicious. As good as the version sold by the very excellent metropolitan bakery here in Philly.
Please take a look.
Posted by gaetano on October 16, 2008 2:25 AMyum Clotilde thanks for sharing this recipe. you're right they look like roman towers
Posted by Cara on March 2, 2009 4:12 PMMy friend bought me some small copper canelés moulds from Paris and I have been putting off making them thinking they'd be difficult but your recipe looked so manageable I decided to take the plunge and make them this weekend (batter's cooling on the kitchen counter as I type).
I don't have an oven thermometer so fingers crossed they'll come out good...if all goes to plan there'll be a joyous post on my blog come the weekend!
Thanks for the recipe Clotilde!
Posted by gourmet traveller on October 22, 2009 2:48 PMhello !.... i was looking at this recipe again now that i got beeswax (my grandpa has be hives..)
Posted by stephano on October 23, 2009 10:17 AMand i really want to try making the Caneles in copper, the traditional way..
any ideas on where i can get the molds online (reasonably priced!) and how to prepare them for the Caneles ? hope u can see this and reply soon !.... i cant wait to try them ! :)
Gourmet traveler - I hope you report back to tell us how your batch turned out!
Stephano - I've never baked these in copper molds myself, but I think you would simply coat them with a super thin layer of beeswax -- the pros use it in spray form, I believe. As for an online source for the molds, I'm sorry that I can't recommend one in particular.
Posted by clotilde on October 23, 2009 2:43 PMHi Clotilde!
I've made 2 batches so far - the first came out far too burnt and stuck to my copper moulds, reduced the temperature considerably for the second lot and they were a bit better but despite liberally buttering stuck even more! I have loads more batter so am going to try again...will keep you updated! On a plus side though what I managed to scrap out of the moulds tasted delicious!
Stephano, I was searching for beeswax tips online (as the butter doesn't seem to work!) and found that you have to make a "white oil" with the beeswax, here's the link with more details.
Posted by gourmet traveller on October 24, 2009 4:39 PMToday I happened to be in Paris and tried the canelles at Fouchon and Eric Kayser. Fouchon is better by far. Dark, crisp on the outside, perfectly moist and custard-like on the inside. Kayser was much paler, without any crunch, and not nearly as tasty. In San Francisco, the best canelles are at Patisserie Philippe and Le Boulange (haven't found them at Tartine yet, however).
Posted by Fred von Lohmann on October 24, 2009 11:26 PMGourmet traveller - Thanks for reporting back. I'm not surprised it takes some fine tuning, I hope you soon get the results you want! Also, it is said that the copper molds get easier to work with after a few uses, when they're "seasoned."
Fred - Thanks for the SF recs. In Paris, my favorite canelés comme from Baillardran or Lemoine, both originally from Bordeaux (coordinates here).
Posted by clotilde on October 30, 2009 3:11 PM