Vive la France!

                                    

     Yesterday I waxed elegant (no pun intended) about the varied culinary uses of beeswax. One reference was to what has been described as a magical bakery confection, caneles de Bordeaux.  It is a cake with a rich custardy interior enclosed by a thin caramelized shell, the recipe developed by an anonymous chef from the Bordeaux region of France long ago and refined over the next 300 years.  Today it is the official cake of that city.

 



     And what's not to like about something made from egg yolks, sugar, milk, flour and flavored with rum and vanilla? It is eaten throughout France and around the world for breakfast, as a snack, and for dessert.  The cold batter is poured into ice-cold fluted tin-lined copper molds, then placed in a very hot oven and baked for a very long time.  After baking, the caneles are firmly tapped out onto a grill while still hot, then left to cool while the exterior hardens.  They are at their peak of excellence 1 hour out of the oven.  6 hours later they become spongy.  The crunchy burnt sugar shell compliments the smooth, sweet filling that is flavored with vanilla and rum.  It has been said that "The perfect canele is what creme brulee wants to be when it grows up."

     The recipe for caneles de Bordeaux is deceptively simple, but they are famously tricky to make.  Paula Wolfert, described by many as the Queen of Caneles, outlines her take on the confection with a 6 page recipe in her book, "The Cooking of Southwest France."  Included in her instructions are these words:

     Many patissiers line their molds with a film of 'white oil' containing beeswax, a messy and highly flammable substance that may deter home cooks."

     The French are passionate about their food, as we all know.  And among them a passionate debate rages on regarding the spelling of their baked treat.  It is commonly spelled canneles.  But to preserve the integrity of the time honored original recipe, a consortium of 88 patissiers in Bordeaux have dropped the double "n" to indicate their allegiance to a uniform high standard of excellence.  Thus the name Caneles de Bordeaux.

     No matter how you spell it, it is beeswax that gives a special mahogany shine and crispness and also adds a special flavor.