Canelés

For the Batter:

1. In a small pot, combine the milk and ¼ cup of sugar. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add both to the pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add the butter and turn off the heat. Stir until the butter is melted.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, egg, salt, and remaining ¾ cup of sugar until well combined.
3. Remove the vanilla bean pod from the milk mixture and reserve. Slowly whisk in about half of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Whisk in the flour until well combined, then whisk in the rest of the hot milk. Stir in the rum.
4. Strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container. Add the vanilla bean pod to the batter, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 5 days. (I prefer 48 hours.)
5. Make sure your molds are seasoned if they are new. See Notes about the seasoning method.

For the Coating:

1. Combine the butter and beeswax in a wide-mouth mason jar. Gently melt both together by placing the jar in a small pot with enough water to come up to the same level as the butter and beeswax in the jar. Heat over medium-low heat. (Do not let the water boil.). Stir the mixture occasionally until melted. Or, microwave the jar in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until the mixture is melted and combined.

For the Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
2. Place the molds on a baking sheet and in the oven for a few minutes, just to warm them up. Meanwhile, set a wire rack over a sheet of parchment paper or paper towels.
3. Wearing an oven mitt or glove, hold a canelé mold and brush a thin coating of the beeswax mixture all over the inside of the mold. Place the mold upside down on a wire rack to drain and cool. Repeat with your remaining molds. (The coating should be very thin.) Once the molds have cooled, place them in the freezer until ready to use or at least 15 minutes.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 500F.
5. Once the oven is preheated, place up to 6 frozen molds on a small foil-lined baking sheet. Stir the chilled batter together and fill the molds on the baking sheet until they are almost full. (There should be about ⅜-inch of space left between the batter and the top edge of the mold. I use 80g of batter in my copper molds and 60g in the muffin pan-style molds.) Place the remaining batter back in the fridge.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400F and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the tops are a dark brown, almost black and the canelés have settled back into their molds. (Depending on how thin the coating is in the molds, some may overflow onto the foil and slightly smoke during baking. This will not affect the canelés bake or flavor, but be ready to turn on your vent hood or open a window.)
7. Remove from the oven and immediately invert each mold onto a wire cooling rack. Remove the molds and allow the canelés to cool completely. Repeat the baking process with the remaining batter. The batter can be chilled for up to an additional 48 hours, so the canalés can be baked over time. Canalés should be enjoyed the day they are baked.