Rum, vanilla – what’s not to love about this cute little pastry?  I have mentioned before that I do not have a sweet tooth, however, one of my exceptions is canneles.  A cannele is a French pastry whose origins can be traced to leftover crepe batter that was cooked in little copper tins, creating a chewy, caramelized exterior, with a creamy, moist interior.  I have tried about 4 or 5 different recipes I found online, and I wasn’t happy with any of them.  Finally I found a great recipe from the wonderful chef, Jacques Pepin, from his cookbook Chez Jacques.

This, by the way, is one of my favorite cookbooks in my collection – wonderful recipes, great stories, and beautiful pictures and paintings, all by Jacques.  Here is the recipe that is in his book.  Recipe notes: I use 1 ½ tsp vanilla and only 2 T of rum,  I add a pinch of gray salt, I brush melted butter inside the molds, and only fill up to within ¼ inch of the top.  The batter is very inexpensive to make, however the silicone molds can get a little pricey.  I have one mini (I just prefer mini things) cannele mold (holds 18), and I’m getting another one this weekend – the reason being is that they take awhile to cook in the oven, so making batches of them with one mold isn’t very realistic.  If you live in LA, you can buy the large and mini cannele molds at Surfas Restaurant Supply – you can also buy large canneles in their café.  If you live in LA and love to cook and have never been to Surfas, please go there immediately (great kitchen stuff, amazing café, and really good cooking classes)!  Also, Hotcakes Bakes on Centinela makes good canneles, if you’re looking to give them a try, which I hope that you do.