Canelés

Season the molds: coat with a little vegetable oil and bake at 425 for about 20 minutes until smoking; then keep warm in a low oven, about 250.

Put the milk, butter, salt and scraped vanilla seeds in a saucepan and bring to a very gentle simmer so the butter melts and the vanilla infuses.

Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale and thick; do not combine them too early or the sugar hardens the yolk.

Temper the yolks by streaming in the hot milk mixture while whisking.

Whisk in the flour a little at a time to break up lumps, then the rum; whisk only to incorporate, without beating in air.

Strain into a quart container, pressing out the liquid and discarding flour lumps and any cooked egg.

Add the scraped vanilla pod and refrigerate the batter at least 12 hours, ideally 24.

Melt the beeswax and butter together in the microwave in about 15-second intervals, stirring until the last beads melt; rewarm if it cools.

One warm mold at a time, pour in some of the wax mixture, swirl to coat every surface and dump out the excess; chill, then give a second, even coat.

Preheat a baking sheet in the oven to 450.

Skim the foam off the batter and stir gently with a spoon to reincorporate the flour that has sunk, without adding air.

Fill the molds nearly to the top, leaving about half a centimetre of headspace, pouring gently.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes on the hot sheet; if batter rises out and spreads rather than straight up, take the mold out, tap it to settle and return it.

Turn down to 400 and bake until the tops are very, very dark brown.

Rest a few minutes, then unmold while still hot; cool so the steam escapes and the exterior turns crunchy.