On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 20:24:25 +0000, Michelle in WA state wrote:

> Just curious: What kind of texture are pralines supposed to have?
>
> I have a box of 'em here, "Kate Latter's" brand, that came -- with
> attendant regional fanfare -- from New Orleans. Maybe I've never had
> pralines before (except in ice cream or something), but for some reason I
> was expecting something quite different. These are basically disks of
> fairly crystalline light-brown sugar with a few pecan pieces in 'em.
>
> Actually, apart from the shape, they remind me quite a lot of the "maple
> sugar candy" items I tried (once) years ago: Sweet enough to knock you to
> your knees, and very little other flavor really.
>
> I guess I had always thought, for some reason, that pralines were rather
> heavy on the pecan, and that the sugar was more or less a firm-to-hard
> rather caramelized sort of candy, smoothy/creamy rather than
> crystalline/grainy.
>
> Was I mistaken, or are these "pralines" just exceedingly poor
> representatives of their species?
>
> Thanks for any enlightenment!
>

Pralines, as known in the southern US, come in two varieties... the firm
crystalline candy and the soft and smooth variety.

The difference?

The care taken to make sure that the sugar/milk/butter mixture is not
overcooked. If you cook it too long, you will end up with a more
crystalline candy. Some people prefer one kind, some prefer the other. My
mom makes the harder, crystalline kind... which was why I always tended to
prefer my grandmother's. Turns out, my mom got her recipe from a cookbook
and my grandmother received hers from her mother.

Me? I like the softer variety. I use heavy cream instead of milk to keep
the mixture rich (my own variation), and I lightly roast the pecans (275
at 25) to bring out their flavor. People have gone nuts over these when I
make them around Christmastime.

Recipe (from memory):

* 1.5 cups sugar
* .75 cup light brown sugar, packed
* .5 cup heavy cream
* 2 tsp vanilla
* .75 stick butter
* 1.5 cups roasted pecans

Combine all ingredients and bring to soft ball stage
(238-240 degrees F.. yeah, get a candy thermometer), stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir until mixture thickens, becomes cloudy, and
pecans stay suspended in mixture. Place a newspaper down, and place wax
paper on top. Spoon out your pralines on the wax paper.

GregoryD