Canelé

1. Heat the milk with the split vanilla pod and a little butter just to boiling point, then cool to lukewarm.

2. Whisk the eggs smooth with the sugar and flour, taking care there are no lumps.

3. Gradually pour the lukewarm vanilla milk into the mixture, finally stir in the rum – you get a thin, flowing batter.

4. Cover the batter and rest it in the fridge for at least one night (ideally 24-48 hours).

5. Fill well-buttered canelé moulds almost to the top with the rested batter.

6. Start in a hot 240 °C oven, then reduce to 180 °C and bake for about 50-60 minutes in total, until dark and crisp outside, soft and open-crumbed inside.

Tip: The canelé is a Bordeaux speciality: a caramelised, almost burnt crisp shell outside, a vanilla-and-rum soft crumb inside. The long fridge rest and the very hot start are essential to the characteristic crust.