Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Mini Chocolate-Rum Canneles

I have no aspirations of becoming a professional pastry chef, but I am fascinated with what the pros learn in their training. I received a review copy of The Elements of Dessert by Certified Master Baker Francisco Migoya and The Culinary Institute of America. This is a pastry textbook covering every technique needed for creating stunning treats. It’s also a beautiful book full of photos of show-stopping plated dessert courses. In The Basic Elements section of the book, methods are carefully explained for everything from blending ingredients, making custards, creating different types of meringue, and mixing doughs, to making your own chocolate from the point of selecting the beans. There’s even a chart showing ingredients, their flavor characteristics, and compatible flavors for them. Then, there are the recipes. Each one is a work of art. There are Pre-Desserts with things like a Goat Cheese Bavarian Cream with Beet Jelly and Date Pound Cake Crumbs which is a perfect, little cylinder of Bavarian cream that’s been wrapped in a sheet of beet jelly and placed on a plate with cake crumbs. The Plated Desserts are no less complex. There’s the Butternut Squash and Cinnamon Ice Cream with True Red Velvet Cake, Black Currant “Paper,” Indonesian Cinnamon Bubbles, and Silver Honey Sauce. That’s all one dessert with recipes for each of the components which are neatly stacked with a swirl of the sauce surrounding them on the plate. There are ideas for Dessert Buffets and Passed-Around Desserts as well as Cakes and Petits Fours. It’s so interesting to learn how these creations are built and to see the final presentation for every dessert. It’s also a bit intimidating, but there are several parts and pieces I’d love to try even if I don’t combine them into the completed masterpieces shown here. 

Something I’d wanted to attempt at home was canneles. I’ve wanted the molds for years but never bought them. When I saw the Chocolate-Rum Canneles recipe in the book, I had to try it. Since those pretty, copper molds cost about $25 each, and this recipe would make 20 little cakes, I opted for a silicon mold for my first experiment. I thought I should find out if I really enjoy baking and eating canneles before investing in the top-of-line bakeware. The mold I ordered online has even smaller cups than I expected. It made cute, little, mini canneles. Even though it is silicone, I had read that batter can stick in the cups. So, I brushed the cups well with melted butter and placed the mold in the refrigerator while making the batter. Sometimes, cannele molds are brushed with a beeswax and butter mixture to give the pastries a glossy outer surface, but beeswax wasn’t mentioned in this recipe. The recipe, included below, is, however, very precise. All ingredients are listed by weight both metric and imperial and by percentage. For instance, 3.53 ounces or 100 grams of eggs are needed. That amounted to two of the eggs I had on the day I baked these. And, the 40 grams of egg yolks was two yolks. Although it’s precise, the recipe is also very easy. It results in a very thin batter that bakes for a long time to produce canneles with crisp edges and a custardy center. 

The long baking time causes the edges of the canneles to caramelize, and that adds to the rich chocolaty, buttery flavors running through them. I know the copper molds would have given them each sharper lines and a nicer shape, but the silicon mold worked well enough. Next, I want to try the baguette ice cream or maybe the pate a choux puffs with espresso pastry cream and chocolate disks. And, I want to learn a few more secrets of the pros from these lovely desserts. 

Mini Chocolate-Rum Canneles
Recipe reprinted with publisher’s permission from The Elements of Dessert

YIELD: 1.15 KG/2 LB 8.64 OZ 
INGREDIENT                         METRIC or  U.S. or % 
Confectioners’ sugar             225 g or 7.94 oz or 19.51% 
All-purpose flour                   85 g or 3 oz or 7.37% 
Cocoa powder                       8 g or  .28 oz or .69% 
Milk                                     500 g or  1 lb 1.64 oz or 43.37% 
Butter                                 75 g or 2.65 oz or 6.5% 
Dark chocolate coins (64%)   100 g or 3.53 oz or 8.67% 
Eggs                                   100 g or 3.53 oz or 8.67% 
Egg yolks                            40 g or 1.41 oz or 3.47% 
Dark rum                            20 g or .71 oz or 1.73% 

1. Lightly grease the cannele molds with nonstick oil spray.
2. Preheat a convection oven to 180ºC/350ºF. 
3. Sift the confectioners’ sugar, flour, and cocoa powder together. 
4. Bring the milk to a boil and then pour it on top of the butter and chocolate in a bowl. Stir until both the butter and chocolate are melted and combined. 
5. Combine the eggs and the yolks and then whisk them into the sifted sugar-flour mixture to form a paste. 
6. Combine this mixture well with the milk mixture and then stir in the rum. 
7. Fill the molds to within .5 cm/.2 in from the tops. 
8. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The crown of the cannelés should feel firm when you press down with a fingertip. Remove the canneles from the mold before they cool. 
9. Reserve uncovered at room temperature. 

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24 comments:

  1. They look extremely tempting! Those chocolate Cannelés are fantastic.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Way back in the Stone Age I was in publishing, and in one job my office was next to that of the editor that did the CIA books. Needless to say she became my bestie buddy! Anyway, all of the books I've seen by that group have been at least good, usually excellent. Certainly these canneles look excellent! Fun post - thanks.

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  3. I want to pop about five or so of these into my mouth right now! They look and sound fantastic!

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  4. These look delightful and I love that they are so small.

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  5. Delightful! I may need to have two or three though just to make sure they taste as good as the look!

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  6. Ohhhh I am swooning! I love canneles and never have made them because I thought they were so difficult. And yeah there is the price of the molds, but if silicone works then I'm in. And chocolate rum? Even better! They look fabulous!!

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  7. Beautiful canneles! I could need a few of them right now.

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  8. I can't get the consistency and caramelisation right using a silicone mold. Think I need the traditional copper one's, or at least metal.

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  9. That's a beautiful very elegant dessert.
    I do agree with Jessica about the silicone molds.
    The cooking book sounds very interesting with creative, new ways to prepare desserts. Cheers!

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  10. No matter what you bake them in I am sure they were delicious!!

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  11. I only made canneles once, using the exact same silicone mold you have - they turned out good, but too sweet for my taste

    I bet your version would be wonderful!

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  12. Wow, these look gorgeous. Two of these mini-caneles with a coffee at about 11 o'clock would be perfect!

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  13. I'm impressed by anyone who can make cookies look decent!

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  14. I've never made these desserts but they certainly look gorgeous. What a pretty shape they are xx

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  15. They look like little morsels of perfection! And yes I've found most pastry chefs very exacting. It's like science! :)

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  16. This book sounds amazing! I love learning more about the science behind baking. And these canneles are seriously gorgeous!

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  17. Oh, such spectacular canneles, Lisa! Good call on buying the silicone molds...they worked beautifully!

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  18. Yum, Lisa! Those look fabulous. I have made canneles, have the same mold you do. But these are over the top. Must try them next fall. Perfect for tea.

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  19. Sounds like a great book. I'm not making too many fussy, very precise recipes these days but still, it's nice to look at such beautiful creations,. Your canneles look lovely- it seems the silicone mold works perfectly fine.

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  20. i had my doubts that the silicone molds would work, but they seem to have done a sufficient job!

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  21. these are stunning Lisa! I am in awe of your skills!

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  22. looks so good and moist,can't wait to try them out :-)

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  23. I haven't had any canneles yet. I am always curious what it tastes. Your little chocolate ones look so cute and pretty. Since I love chocolate, this would be a good start for me. Now, I need to ask my husband to get me one more mold! Hahaha! :D

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