This is the remainder of The Best Canelé I Have Ever Had. It is the canelé that finally made me understand what the BFD with canelés is. The satisfying crunch of the fluted, caramelized edges is key—makes the contrast with the rummy clafoutis center that much better. It was crisp and brown on the outside, boozy and soft on the inside, kind of like me after my trip to France.

Here’s the thing—we got it at the Boulangerie Paul on rue de Buci. I know it’s a chain, and you don’t have to believe me on this, but I’m telling you, it was amazing. For the rest of the trip, we bought and ate canelés wherever we came across them and none lived up to the one pictured here. We even went to another Paul near our hotel and the canelé was just like all other canelés I’ve had, which is to say soft and boring and WTF? Makes me want to go to Bordeaux and root out the original.

I’ve heard there are good ones at Pierre Hermé, but I didn’t get over there this trip. Anyway, if you’re near rue de Buci, pick one up and tell me what you think, you lucky bastard.

Paul
17 and 21 rue de Buci
6th Arrondissement
+33 (0)1 55 42 02 23

UPDATE: Look, an NYC canelé crawl! Looks like I have to make a trip to Balthazar, though that extra-dark Michael Allen one looks like the jam, too. This San Francisco canelé looks pretty amazing, too (via Chow).

Tags: Paris