Friday, February 17, 2012

soffritto: Cannelés de Bordeaux

soffritto: Cannelés de Bordeaux

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Cannelés de Bordeaux

Cannelés, so yummy, crunchy on the outside and moist like pudding on the inside. YUM!  I started my adventure in 2000 when I found an article in a magazine and went ahead and bought two tin lined copper molds.  However, I never made them because, I wanted to get more copper molds...and they were expensive.  Also, having been to France many times, I cannot believe that I never tried them there....a visit is in the near future






                                           These were the best so far!
The silicone molds I first purchased
                                            Broke down and purchased the copper molds







                                            Crunchy on the outside and moist & pudding
                                            like on the inside


                                            The master piece so far!!!!


Then came 2011, watching Laura Calder making them in silicone molds I thought, OMG, why not give it a try.  So, I went and bought the silicone molds from Amazon.  I thought these were good and they are, however, they did not produce the crunchy caramelized outside like the copper molds. Right after purchasing the silicone molds I went to visit a friend in California and it was there that I first made Cannelés; they were a huge hit and we proceeded to make them several times during my visit. Upon returning home, I continued to try to perfect the Cannelés in the silicone molds, till  I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the famous lined copper molds (a friend sent me several articles she found on perfecting Cannelés) ...The molds are beautiful and have to be seasoned.  I followed Paula Wolfert's suggested seasoning, she has an extensive article on Cannelé.   The molds are thickly covered with shortening in the oven for 1 hour at 175C (350F), after the hour, remove and turn upside down on a wire rack, return to the oven for 15 minutes and leave upside down till the oven is cool then wipe the inside with paper towels.  Seasoning is very important, if not done properly your Cannelés will stick to the mold, this would not be a good thing.
Cannelés are a little tricky to make and here are some of the things that I have learned in my journey to make "the perfect Cannelés".


COPPER VS SILICONE:
Yes you can use the silicone, but the Cannelés will not be crunchy.  Yes the molds are expensive but worth it to achieve perfection.  You can purchase Cannelés tined lined copper molds at Amazon.Com, however, I now feel the need to return to Paris and to Dehillerin to purchase more molds.


I read many articles on the internet and  Youtube.  I found articles from Chez Pim and Paula Wolfert ( I found these the most helpful for me) the ones my friend sent to me were refreshing because it game me hope, that I could perfect these
So, if your ready for the challenge here it is!


The MOLDS:
Once you have the molds and have seasoned them your good to go.


BEESWAX:  It is important to coat the molds with equal amounts of beeswax and butter. I used 60 grams beeswax and 60 grams of unsalted butter.


BATTER:  Here is the recipe that I use


500 ml milk
2 eggs 
2 egg yolks
250 grams of sugar
125 grams all-purpose flour
rum, 1/4 cup / 60 ml
2 teaspoons vanilla
50 grams of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
12 cannelé molds
heavy tongs


For the coating of the molds you will need equal amount os beeswax and butter.
I used 60 grams of butter and 60 grams of beeswax


Method:
1.  Mix the flour and sugar together in one bowl.
2.  Beat the eggs and the egg yolks together, along with the vanilla and rum
3.  Incorporate the egg mixture into the flower sugar mixture, gently with a whisk
4.  When the butter and milk have to come to a boil and the butter is melted, remove from the heat and gently (tempering) add to the flour mixture.  Whisk gentle. Remember that air is your enemy!
5.  Place into a covered container and put into the fridge for 48 hours (yes, it is important to rest).


After the 48 hours you will want to preheat your over to 150C (300F). 


In the meantime, melt the beeswax and butter over a double boiler.  Once the oven has reached the proper temperature, place the molds on a sheet pan and place into the oven for a few minutes (maybe 5; you want to warm the molds before adding the beeswax/butter mixture).


Remove the molds from the oven and pour the melted beeswax into the mold then turn it out back into the pot, turn the mold upside down so that extra beeswax will drip out.  Once you have completed this with all the molds, place them into the refrigerator for about 30 min to 1 hour.


Preheat you oven to 230C (450F) once the oven has reached this temperature remove the batter and gently mix with a spatula, you do not want air in the batter!  Remove the cold molds and fill to 1 cm from the top.  Place them into the oven and after 15 minutes lower the oven to190C(375F) and cook for 50 minutes, turning every 15 min.


You will see the Cannelés rise and then they will fall back down.  Once cooked, remove from the oven, then from the molds.  These are best enjoyed the day prepared and it is suggested 1 to 5 hours after cooking.