[Note: this is from a draft started in November 2014 and I am trying to finish it now the best I can]

Well the canelé madness has continued. I read the entirety of this crazy chowhound thread (multi-thread, multi page http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/738446), and then Paula Wolfert’s recipe (egullet member) from her book (http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/canele.html), Pim from (http://chezpim.com/bake/canele-recipe-method). I also did multi-variations and combined techniques for each of these. The paula wolfert version was a bit eggy for my taste though I did like the refined bakers sugar since it requires less stirring to incorporate, and the Pim version uses powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch and I didn’t like the way it affected the texture of the “custard” – made it set more flanish.

I’ve roped in my friends from culinary school, Joanna of http://www.chefjoannas.com/, who was in France with me, to go on a tasting to Bouchon Bakery (this is actually where she first told me about her energy bars that I am dying to try). Of course they were near perfect (called ahead and got them about an hour after baking so they crust was set but not starting to soften…sugar is hygroscopic you know). The crust was perfect, bitter, crunchy– perhaps using wax (look in the divot on the dome). The interior was the texture that I’ve been hearing described but not really sure what it meant having never had a good one. It was almost like just underdone cake batter. Moist but not springy, which is what I think the flannish texture comes from (too much overworking of the gluten in mixing or egg protein). Could have been a bit more boozy, which is strange because I’m not a rum fan, but these somehow need them.

Finally, after a lot more variants: recipes, temperature, and cook time, I decided to try the version my friend, Amanda, gave me when she let me borrow her molds in the first place. Amanda used to be the head pastry chef of a very well known bakery in NYC that has closed (I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say which). Of course they were damn near perfect and I can’t believe that I’ve been sitting on it this whole time.  ugh.

Expect a post specifically about them in the future, but in the meantime here is the canele from la boulange, which has a pretty decent one if you ask for it not to be re-heated and order it before 10am before the crusts can start to get chewy…

Cor