The Architecture of the Crust: Mastering the Canelé de Bordeaux

The Canelé is a testament to the “Waste-Not” history of French cooking. In the 18th century, winemakers used egg whites to clarify their wines (finishing). The leftover egg yolks were given to local nuns, who combined them with flour and sugar to create these fluted cakes. Modern mastery of the Canelé requires an obsession with thermal conductivity and the specific behavior of beeswax as a release agent.