Canelé is a small classic French pastry from the region of Bordeaux that I find truly delicious. It’s so dainty and delicate with its beautifully soft centre and dark crunchy caramelised crust. This is a really easy recipe that you can achieve at home; the only trick is in the baking. These little treats can be eaten for breakfast, as a snack or you can build them up into a beautiful dessert by adding a bit of Chantilly cream.

Canelé

Makes 16 canelé in a traditional copper mold.

Ingredients:

  • ½ litre milk (whole preferred)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 100g plain white flour
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tbsp rum
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • A pinch of salt
  • Canelé moulds

Method:

It is preferable to make the canelés mix the day beforehand as it needs to rest overnight in the fridge.

  1. Heat the milk in a saucepan and while it is warming, cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the inside, add to the milk, along with the butter.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs and gently sift in the flour. Then add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of rum to the mix.
  3. Once the butter has completely melted incorporate the lukewarm milk into the bowl. Whisk continuously until you get a liquid mix without any lumps, very much like a pancake mixture.
  4. Leave to rest overnight in the fridge covered with cling film.
  5. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees celsius.
  6. Depending on what moulds you are using, you might need to grease beforehand (the silicone moulds don’t need buttering).
  7. When you remove the canelés mix from the fridge give it a little stir before pouring into the canelé moulds; do not fill quite to the brim as they tend to rise a little.
  8. Bake in the oven at a high temperature for 8 minutes only, after this lower the heat to 180 degrees celsius for a further 40 mins.
  9. Remove them from the oven when the tops are dark brown and crispy. Leave to cool down for at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove them from their moulds.

If eating these little canelés as a dessert, why not add something extra special with a Clairette de Die 2014 from the Rhône Valley. This sparkling wine is light in alcohol and delicate in bubbles. Served chilled, the combination of Clairette and Muscat will enhance the beautiful sweetness of these little French pastries.

It can sometimes be a little intricate when pairing wine with desserts. I personally enjoy a 2012 Pietra Nera, Zibibbo from Marco de Bartoli. This Sicilian wine in the Marsala region is a tantalizing white with plenty of citrus aromas; a really fresh and delicious Zibibbo, known in France as Muscat de Alexandria, that truly compliments these special treats.

On a sweeter note, I suggest a 2010 Château Coutet from Barsac. Although a little more pricey, I think this Sauternes is worth every penny. This pudding wine has the perfect balance of sweetness, juiciness and acidity.

Wines to drink with Canelés by Michel Roux Jr.

Domaine Achard-Vincent ‘Tradition’, Clairette de Die 2014: This fresh and lightly sparkling wine is delightful to drink. Opulently fruity with crisp citrus notes, this low alcohol wine goes perfectly with the sweet moreishness of the canelés.

RRP: £16.25 from Yapp Brothers

Marco de Bartoli, Pietra Nera, Zibibbo 2012: An elegant white with notes of citrus and salty aromas. It’s exquisite freshness cuts beautifully against the sticky caramel of these gorgeous desserts.

RRP: £22.50 from Berry Bros and Rudd

Château Coutet, Sauternes, Barsac 2010: This sumptuously sweet white is abundant in ripe, fruity flavours. With notes of peach, apricot and honey it is balanced beautifully with fresher crisp notes of blossom and orange.

RRP: £62.00 Berry Bros and Rudd

Apple puff pastry with Christmas spices

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Apple puff pastry with Christmas spices – recipe by Michel Roux Jr.

Gateau de Savoie

Gateau de Savoie, Michel Roux Jnr.
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Gateau de Savoie, chestnut purée and Chantilly cream – recipe by Michel Roux Jr.

Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.