Les Canelés de Bordeaux

Un coup de coeur!

I never met a canelé I didn’t like. But honestly, these little beauties are best when eaten fresh and in their place of origin. It’s all about context.

Our first canelé accompanied an espresso we had at 9pm at the Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport while waiting for our luggage to arrive on the next flight from Charles-De-Gaulle. It was roughly noon our time and we had been traveling since the previous afternoon. So needless to say, we were not feeling our best. This particular canelé seemed a little overdone for my taste, or maybe I was just cranky.

A few days later, we decided to give it another whack. This outlet of La Toque Cuivrée had a line, which seemed to bode well for their product.

Aaah! Sweet success! These canelés were lightly caramelized, crispy and buttery on the surface, custardy in the center with a distinct flavor of vanilla and rum. The canelé against which all future canelés will be judged.

And they come in bouchée (bite-size), “lunch” (medium), and gros (large) so you can choose your preferred custard to crust ration. Perfection!