Craving: canelés from Bordeaux
Soft on the inside and caramelized on the outside: that’s how real canelés should be. This specialty from Bordeaux looks sweet and innocent, but appearances can be deceiving. It contains a generous splash of rum.
“The difference between that soft, pudding-like interior and the caramelized exterior is what makes canelés so special,” says baker Sébastien Roturier of Le Fournil de Sébastien, our favorite bakery in Amsterdam. Many canelés are dark in color, but in Bordeaux they also come in lighter variations. “In Bordeaux, they are baked according to the customer’s preference. The darker canelés have a more intense flavor than the lighter ones.”
Difficult to make
Making these delicious little cakes is no piece of cake. To begin with, you need those special copper baking molds. “They create that contrast in textures: the outside of the canelé cooks much faster than the inside because of the copper. If you get the timing right, you achieve that pudding-like texture on the inside.” Sébastien therefore recommends only baking canelés once you have managed to get hold of these baking molds. “There are silicone baking molds too, but the result is nowhere near as delicious.” In fact, it will be a complete failure.
Have you got them at home? Then this is a good recipe to start with. You can also simply visit Le Fournil de Sébastien bakery in Amsterdam, where Sébastien will bake them for you.
Also read:
