Gypsy Tart vs Cannelés de Bordeaux: Caramelized Rum and Vanilla Pastries

Both desserts lean on butter, sugar and egg yolk, but put them to very different work. In the Gypsy Tart they form a crumbly shortcrust, blind-baked before holding a filling of evaporated milk and dark brown sugar whisked for fifteen minutes into a fluffy, coffee-coloured mass that bakes only briefly and sets as it cools. The cannelés instead fold yolks, whole egg and melted butter into a rum- and vanilla-scented batter, rested for hours, then baked long in buttered moulds until a dark mahogany crust forms.