Cannelés de Bordeaux

Cannelés are the quintessential petits fours from Bordeaux. They are not a cookie and they are not cake. It's almost like a crepe batter that is baked in tin molds to a dark crusty exterior with a tender, soft and slight chewy interior. They are flavored with vanilla and rum... very very fragrant. Traditionally, these cannelés tin molds are coated with beeswax, but I used mini silicon molds. Their exterior is not as shiny when beeswax is not used but they are just as flavorful and the texture very similar.

INGREDIENTS

•   2 cups milk
•   2 tablespoons semi-salted butter, diced
•   1 vanilla pod, split
•   3/4 cup all-purpose flour
•   1 teaspoon fine sea salt
•   1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
•   3 eggs
•   1/3 cup good-quality rum 

METHOD 

       1 Combine the milk, butter and vanilla in a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, combine the flour, salt, 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.

       2 Pour the eggs all at once into the flour mixture, pour in the milk mixture, and stir until well combined. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod . Add the rum and stir. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

       3 The next day, preheat the oven to (480° F). Butter the cannelés molds. Blend again. Pour into the prepared molds, filling them almost to the top. Put into the oven to bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to  (400° F) and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your oven and how you like your cannelés. The cannelés are ready when the bottoms are a very dark brown. 

        4 Unmold onto a cooling rack (wait for about 10 minutes first if you're using silicon molds) and let cool completely before eating.