First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

Second... What should they taste like, look like, and the texture?

I ask because I bought one today at Hobby Lobby and I don't think it was
right.

They are not common in this area.

We got them all the time when I lived in Wichita.

Then when we moved here to WA, we would get them at this one Mexican
restaurant. They were just like I remembered. Round, kind of flat like a
cookie and loaded with pecan nut halves. The taste was rich and of brown
sugar and it had sort of a gritty/sugary feel in the mouth. Not exactly
crisp but hard to describe. Certainly not soft or gooey.

I do remember buying one in a Mexican grocery here a few years back and it
wasn't like I remembered it but now I can't remember why.

The one I bought today seemed just weird to me. I only had one bite. My
parents ate the rest and they said it was just fine and what it was supposed
to taste like. But I think they were wrong.

First this was made with a mix of pecans and walnuts and it said there could
be peanuts in it. The nuts were chopped. Not finely chopped but pretty
small pieces. And not a lot of nuts.

The shape was a really thick, chunky oval. Much thicker than I think it
should be.

The texture was soft and creamy. The nuts were not crisp at all and there
was no brown sugar taste or mouthfeel. My parents said it tasted rich to
them but it didn't to me. Not at all. Just sweet. Kind of sickly sweet.
The texture was just creamy. Sort of like a really thick cake icing. And I
don't think that's right.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Thanks!

In article ,
"Julie Bove" wrote:

First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Southerners should answer this. To me "prayleens" are pecans in a stiff
caramel coating. I'm from Nevada and couldn't discern a real southern
praline with a gun to my head. I remember when my parents got sugary
pecan lumps for Christmas that were called pralines. Come to think of
it, they weren't caramel.

leo

"Leonard Blaisdell" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Julie Bove" wrote:

First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I
have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Southerners should answer this. To me "prayleens" are pecans in a stiff
caramel coating. I'm from Nevada and couldn't discern a real southern
praline with a gun to my head. I remember when my parents got sugary
pecan lumps for Christmas that were called pralines. Come to think of
it, they weren't caramel.

Stiff! That's the word I was searching for. These were not stiff.

Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

In article ,
"Julie Bove" wrote:

First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Southerners should answer this. To me "prayleens" are pecans in a stiff
caramel coating. I'm from Nevada and couldn't discern a real southern
praline with a gun to my head. I remember when my parents got sugary
pecan lumps for Christmas that were called pralines. Come to think of
it, they weren't caramel.


C'mon y'all from south of the Mason-Dixon. I'm a NYer. I've
made them a couple times and thought I'd failed. They have come out
as a gooey cookie that is *almost* grainy caramel. It can still be
broken, but it bends quite a bit before it comes apart.

I tried 2 recipes, then figured I must be leaving out a secret step
that only southerns know.

Then my daughter brought me home a bourbon/bacon/some-hot-thing
praline from New Orleans. The texture was exactly what I'd been
coming up with and had caused my disappointment.

Is that what they are *supposed* to be?

Jim

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message...
Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

In article ,
"Julie Bove" wrote:

First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I
have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the
texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Southerners should answer this. To me "prayleens" are pecans in a stiff
caramel coating. I'm from Nevada and couldn't discern a real southern
praline with a gun to my head. I remember when my parents got sugary
pecan lumps for Christmas that were called pralines. Come to think of
it, they weren't caramel.


C'mon y'all from south of the Mason-Dixon. I'm a NYer. I've
made them a couple times and thought I'd failed. They have come out
as a gooey cookie that is *almost* grainy caramel. It can still be
broken, but it bends quite a bit before it comes apart.

I tried 2 recipes, then figured I must be leaving out a secret step
that only southerns know.

Then my daughter brought me home a bourbon/bacon/some-hot-thing
praline from New Orleans. The texture was exactly what I'd been
coming up with and had caused my disappointment.

Is that what they are *supposed* to be?

Jim

I am a praline authority. Because I say so and because friends, foes and
strangers say so. The recipes have been around at least 250 years - more or
less in France and then New Orleans.
First, the pronunciation is praw-leen and I was going to suggest saying
'praw' as in 'craw'fish but folks don't get that right either. The origin
is French; neither Mexico nor China can persuade me otherwise.
Saying the name is much like puh-cahn or pee-can. Nobody here worries
much about that.
As with fudge and divinity, the weather, the cook and the ingredients
vary. Lots.
Putting bacon in a praline is absurd but I suppose Elvis would have
liked it. Polly

On Sat, 3 Dec 2011 23:56:25 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

Second... What should they taste like, look like, and the texture?

I ask because I bought one today at Hobby Lobby and I don't think it was
right.

They are not common in this area.

We got them all the time when I lived in Wichita.

Then when we moved here to WA, we would get them at this one Mexican
restaurant. They were just like I remembered. Round, kind of flat like a
cookie and loaded with pecan nut halves. The taste was rich and of brown
sugar and it had sort of a gritty/sugary feel in the mouth. Not exactly
crisp but hard to describe. Certainly not soft or gooey.

I do remember buying one in a Mexican grocery here a few years back and it
wasn't like I remembered it but now I can't remember why.

The one I bought today seemed just weird to me. I only had one bite. My
parents ate the rest and they said it was just fine and what it was supposed
to taste like. But I think they were wrong.

First this was made with a mix of pecans and walnuts and it said there could
be peanuts in it. The nuts were chopped. Not finely chopped but pretty
small pieces. And not a lot of nuts.

The shape was a really thick, chunky oval. Much thicker than I think it
should be.

The texture was soft and creamy. The nuts were not crisp at all and there
was no brown sugar taste or mouthfeel. My parents said it tasted rich to
them but it didn't to me. Not at all. Just sweet. Kind of sickly sweet.
The texture was just creamy. Sort of like a really thick cake icing. And I
don't think that's right.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?




To page up or down, click on arrows.

praline
[PRAH-leen, prah-LEEN, PRAY-leen]
1. A brittle confection made of almonds and CARAMELIZED sugar. It may
be eaten as candy, ground and used as a filling or dessert ingredient,
or sprinkled atop desserts as a garnish. 2. A special patty-shaped
candy from Louisiana made with pecans and brown sugar.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

ok recipe you prefer please, i am not sure if early demensia or being
underwhelmed when eating them has caused me to hhave no clear memory of
eating them, but i know i must have, Lee
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message...
Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

In article ,
"Julie Bove" wrote:

First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I
have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the
texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Southerners should answer this. To me "prayleens" are pecans in a stiff
caramel coating. I'm from Nevada and couldn't discern a real southern
praline with a gun to my head. I remember when my parents got sugary
pecan lumps for Christmas that were called pralines. Come to think of
it, they weren't caramel.


C'mon y'all from south of the Mason-Dixon. I'm a NYer. I've
made them a couple times and thought I'd failed. They have come out
as a gooey cookie that is *almost* grainy caramel. It can still be
broken, but it bends quite a bit before it comes apart.

I tried 2 recipes, then figured I must be leaving out a secret step
that only southerns know.

Then my daughter brought me home a bourbon/bacon/some-hot-thing
praline from New Orleans. The texture was exactly what I'd been
coming up with and had caused my disappointment.

Is that what they are *supposed* to be?

Jim

I am a praline authority. Because I say so and because friends, foes and
strangers say so. The recipes have been around at least 250 years - more
or less in France and then New Orleans.
First, the pronunciation is praw-leen and I was going to suggest saying
'praw' as in 'craw'fish but folks don't get that right either. The origin
is French; neither Mexico nor China can persuade me otherwise.
Saying the name is much like puh-cahn or pee-can. Nobody here worries
much about that.
As with fudge and divinity, the weather, the cook and the ingredients
vary. Lots.
Putting bacon in a praline is absurd but I suppose Elvis would have
liked it. Polly

On Sun, 4 Dec 2011 00:33:46 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


"Leonard Blaisdell" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Julie Bove" wrote:

First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I
have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Southerners should answer this. To me "prayleens" are pecans in a stiff
caramel coating. I'm from Nevada and couldn't discern a real southern
praline with a gun to my head. I remember when my parents got sugary
pecan lumps for Christmas that were called pralines. Come to think of
it, they weren't caramel.

Stiff! That's the word I was searching for. These were not stiff.

Why didn't you say so... I have the perfect praline for you.

On Dec 4, 12:08*pm, "Storrmmee" wrote:
ok recipe you prefer please, i am not sure if early demensia or being
underwhelmed when eating them has caused me to hhave no clear memory of
eating them, but i know i must have, Lee"Polly Esther" wrote in message

...





"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message...
Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

In article ,
"Julie Bove" wrote:

First... *How do you pronounce them? *I grew up saying "prayleen" but I
have
only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the
texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... *How should they be?

Southerners should answer this. To me "prayleens" are pecans in a stiff
caramel coating. I'm from Nevada and couldn't discern a real southern
praline with a gun to my head. I remember when my parents got sugary
pecan lumps for Christmas that were called pralines. Come to think of
it, they weren't caramel.

C'mon y'all from south of the Mason-Dixon. * * I'm a NYer. * *I've
made them a couple times and thought I'd failed. * They have come out
as a gooey cookie that is *almost* grainy caramel. * * It can still be
broken, but it bends quite a bit before it comes apart.

I tried 2 recipes, then figured I must be leaving out a secret step
that only southerns know.

Then my daughter brought me home a bourbon/bacon/some-hot-thing
praline from New Orleans. * *The texture was exactly what I'd been
coming up with and had caused my disappointment.

Is that what they are *supposed* to be?

Jim

I am a praline authority. *Because I say so and because friends, foes and
strangers say so. *The recipes have been around at least 250 years - more
or less in France and then New Orleans.
* *First, the pronunciation is praw-leen and I was going to suggest saying
'praw' as in 'craw'fish but folks don't get that right either. *The origin
is French; neither Mexico nor China can persuade me otherwise.
* *Saying the name is much like puh-cahn or pee-can. *Nobody here worries
much about that.
* *As with fudge and divinity, the weather, the cook and the ingredients
vary. *Lots.
* *Putting bacon in a praline is absurd but I suppose Elvis would have
liked it. *Polly- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Useless ****.

Jim Elbrecht wrote:

C'mon y'all from south of the Mason-Dixon. I'm a NYer. I've
made them a couple times and thought I'd failed. They have come out
as a gooey cookie that is *almost* grainy caramel. It can still be
broken, but it bends quite a bit before it comes apart.



That sounds right. Add some pecan halves and large pieces and it should
be good. Here's a recipe I saved a while back that looks right, but I
haven't made it yet. Notice it's made with water instead of milk and
has no corn syrup:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine's Pralines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One day we went out to visit a cemetary in New Orleans called The St.
Louis Cemetary. All the folks in the St. Louis cemetary are buried above
ground in stone crypts because of the water table in New Orleans being
so close to the ground. Sheryl Ann said when she went she was going to
be cremated and have her ashes scattered over Hink’s Shopping Mall,
because that way she could shop for comfortable shoes for all time, what
with having bunyuns and all. I said she’d be ashes then and what would
she be needing shoes for, and she just gave me a dirty look. One of the
tombs at the cemetary was the tomb of Marie Leveau, who was a famous
voodoo priestess who lived in New Orleans. It is said if you knock three
times and draw three X’s on her tomb with chalk and ask her for a wish,
she will grant it. Sheryl Ann did just that, excepting she didn’t have
any chalk so she used an eyebrow pencil instead, and she asked her for a
pair of comfortable shoes. Then she asked to win the Fantasy Five the
next time she played the lotto back home and asked me if I thought she
should make three more X’s on the tomb. I said I figured she was better
safe than sorry, particularly seeing as how she used an eyebrow pencil
instead of chalk, because if she didn’t she might very well get only one
comfortable shoe, and wouldn’t that be a fine how do you do. We went
back to Lu Lu’s where Josephine had a nice batch of pralines waiting for
us. We told her about our visit to the cemetary and Sheryl Ann’s wish
for comfortable shoes and her eyes got very wide and she wrote an
address on a piece of paper. After we ate the pralines we decided to
visit the address, which was in the French Quarter, and it turned out to
be Marie’s Orthopedic Shoes, where Sheryl Ann got a very nice pair that
did her feet well for the rest of the trip.

Josephine’s Pralines

1/4 Cup water
2T margarine
1 Cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Cup Confectioner's sugar
1/2 teasp vanilla extract
1 Cup chopped pecans

Place large towel on counter w/wax paper on top; In medium saucepan, add
water and butter; Bring to boil; Stir in sugars; Bring back to boil;
Boil and stir 1 minute only; Remove from heat;
Stir in vanilla and pecans; Beat by hand until it begins to thicken
slightly; Note: DO NOT OVER BEAT! candy will harden too soon;
Immediately drop from teaspoon on to wax paper; Cool and store in
covered container;

"zxcvbob" wrote, in part Josephine’s Pralines

1/4 Cup water
2T margarine
1 Cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Cup Confectioner's sugar
1/2 teasp vanilla extract
1 Cup chopped pecans

Place large towel on counter w/wax paper on top; In medium saucepan, add
water and butter; Bring to boil; Stir in sugars; Bring back to boil; Boil
and stir 1 minute only; Remove from heat;
Stir in vanilla and pecans; Beat by hand until it begins to thicken
slightly; Note: DO NOT OVER BEAT! candy will harden too soon; Immediately
drop from teaspoon on to wax paper; Cool and store in covered container;

Here's the method I use lately. We have a fierce microwave and I back off
from the High setting. A clear sunny day is the best weather for these. We
sent some to our deployed in Afghanistan Christmas 2010; this year they go
to Kuwait.

Microwave Pralines

l box butterscotch pie filling (NOT instant) (weighs about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
l cup sugar (Not confectioner's)
l tablespoon butter (cold is okay, it will melt)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans ( if you're going for world/class competition, brush
the pecans to remove any bits of woodsy redish dust before chopping)

Wipe countertop with damp cloth so the foil will stay in place and spread a
large sheet of aluminum foil on counter
Sift or sieve together pie filling and both sugars; mix with evaporated milk
in microwave safe mixing bowl and add butter.
Cook 3 minutes on high (says the recipe, I back off to level 8).
Stir.
Cook 2 more minutes, stir. Cook 2 more minutes. Stir. You're looking for
less than 220 degrees. If you use a candy thermometer, be sure to temper it
by setting it first in a cup of hot water.
Add pecans and vanilla. Stir.
Drop on foil.
If it gets too thick while you're dipping add a FEW drops of evaporated milk
that's left in the can.
Some pralines will set immediately, some make take overnight. Polly

"Julie Bove" wrote in message
...
First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I
have only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

Second... What should they taste like, look like, and the texture?

I ask because I bought one today at Hobby Lobby and I don't think it was
right.

They are not common in this area.

We got them all the time when I lived in Wichita.

Then when we moved here to WA, we would get them at this one Mexican
restaurant. They were just like I remembered. Round, kind of flat like a
cookie and loaded with pecan nut halves. The taste was rich and of brown
sugar and it had sort of a gritty/sugary feel in the mouth. Not exactly
crisp but hard to describe. Certainly not soft or gooey.

I do remember buying one in a Mexican grocery here a few years back and it
wasn't like I remembered it but now I can't remember why.

The one I bought today seemed just weird to me. I only had one bite. My
parents ate the rest and they said it was just fine and what it was
supposed to taste like. But I think they were wrong.

First this was made with a mix of pecans and walnuts and it said there
could be peanuts in it. The nuts were chopped. Not finely chopped but
pretty small pieces. And not a lot of nuts.

The shape was a really thick, chunky oval. Much thicker than I think it
should be.

Yes, that sounds too thick. They typically have the shape of dough cookies.

The texture was soft and creamy. The nuts were not crisp at all and there
was no brown sugar taste or mouthfeel. My parents said it tasted rich to
them but it didn't to me. Not at all. Just sweet. Kind of sickly sweet.
The texture was just creamy. Sort of like a really thick cake icing. And
I don't think that's right.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Thanks!

Southern pralines (pronounced prah-leens) are different from pralines in
most other parts of the world. (In most other places, praline is a smooth
paste of cocoa blended with finely ground nuts and used to fill chocolate
bon-bons.)

Southern pralines are a sweet confection made of pecans, or walnuts, and a
(sometimes) creamy, sugary, caramelized coating.

I think the best pralines are the smooth, creamy pralines made with pecan
halves, not pieces.

If you don't have a sweet tooth you might want to start out with chewy
pralines, which is basically caramel and nuts.

Pralines tend to dry out over time and get "gritty/sugary". Most people use
light brown sugar.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Jim Elbrecht wrote:

C'mon y'all from south of the Mason-Dixon. I'm a NYer. I've
made them a couple times and thought I'd failed. They have come out
as a gooey cookie that is *almost* grainy caramel. It can still be
broken, but it bends quite a bit before it comes apart.



That sounds right. Add some pecan halves and large pieces and it should
be good. Here's a recipe I saved a while back that looks right, but I
haven't made it yet. Notice it's made with water instead of milk and has
no corn syrup:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine's Pralines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One day we went out to visit a cemetary in New Orleans called The St.
Louis Cemetary. All the folks in the St. Louis cemetary are buried above
ground in stone crypts because of the water table in New Orleans being so
close to the ground. Sheryl Ann said when she went she was going to be
cremated and have her ashes scattered over Hink’s Shopping Mall, because
that way she could shop for comfortable shoes for all time, what with
having bunyuns and all. I said she’d be ashes then and what would she be
needing shoes for, and she just gave me a dirty look. One of the tombs at
the cemetary was the tomb of Marie Leveau, who was a famous voodoo
priestess who lived in New Orleans. It is said if you knock three times
and draw three X’s on her tomb with chalk and ask her for a wish, she will
grant it. Sheryl Ann did just that, excepting she didn’t have any chalk so
she used an eyebrow pencil instead, and she asked her for a pair of
comfortable shoes. Then she asked to win the Fantasy Five the next time
she played the lotto back home and asked me if I thought she should make
three more X’s on the tomb. I said I figured she was better safe than
sorry, particularly seeing as how she used an eyebrow pencil instead of
chalk, because if she didn’t she might very well get only one comfortable
shoe, and wouldn’t that be a fine how do you do. We went back to Lu Lu’s
where Josephine had a nice batch of pralines waiting for us. We told her
about our visit to the cemetary and Sheryl Ann’s wish for comfortable
shoes and her eyes got very wide and she wrote an address on a piece of
paper. After we ate the pralines we decided to visit the address, which
was in the French Quarter, and it turned out to be Marie’s Orthopedic
Shoes, where Sheryl Ann got a very nice pair that did her feet well for
the rest of the trip.

Josephine’s Pralines

1/4 Cup water
2T margarine
1 Cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Cup Confectioner's sugar
1/2 teasp vanilla extract
1 Cup chopped pecans

Place large towel on counter w/wax paper on top; In medium saucepan, add
water and butter; Bring to boil; Stir in sugars; Bring back to boil; Boil
and stir 1 minute only; Remove from heat;
Stir in vanilla and pecans; Beat by hand until it begins to thicken
slightly; Note: DO NOT OVER BEAT! candy will harden too soon; Immediately
drop from teaspoon on to wax paper; Cool and store in covered container;

This is a recipe for old-fashioned, sugary pralines. These aren't creamy
pralines.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...

"zxcvbob" wrote, in part Josephine’s Pralines

1/4 Cup water
2T margarine
1 Cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Cup Confectioner's sugar
1/2 teasp vanilla extract
1 Cup chopped pecans

Place large towel on counter w/wax paper on top; In medium saucepan, add
water and butter; Bring to boil; Stir in sugars; Bring back to boil; Boil
and stir 1 minute only; Remove from heat;
Stir in vanilla and pecans; Beat by hand until it begins to thicken
slightly; Note: DO NOT OVER BEAT! candy will harden too soon; Immediately
drop from teaspoon on to wax paper; Cool and store in covered container;

Here's the method I use lately. We have a fierce microwave and I back off
from the High setting. A clear sunny day is the best weather for these.
We sent some to our deployed in Afghanistan Christmas 2010; this year they
go to Kuwait.

Microwave Pralines

l box butterscotch pie filling (NOT instant) (weighs about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
l cup sugar (Not confectioner's)
l tablespoon butter (cold is okay, it will melt)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans ( if you're going for world/class competition, brush
the pecans to remove any bits of woodsy redish dust before chopping)

Wipe countertop with damp cloth so the foil will stay in place and spread
a large sheet of aluminum foil on counter
Sift or sieve together pie filling and both sugars; mix with evaporated
milk in microwave safe mixing bowl and add butter.
Cook 3 minutes on high (says the recipe, I back off to level 8).
Stir.
Cook 2 more minutes, stir. Cook 2 more minutes. Stir. You're looking for
less than 220 degrees. If you use a candy thermometer, be sure to temper
it by setting it first in a cup of hot water.
Add pecans and vanilla. Stir.
Drop on foil.
If it gets too thick while you're dipping add a FEW drops of evaporated
milk that's left in the can.
Some pralines will set immediately, some make take overnight. Polly

Be very careful. I've melted plastic bowls in the microwave when making
candy.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

"Julie Bove" wrote in message
...
First... How do you pronounce them? I grew up saying "prayleen" but I
have only heard "prawline" or "prawleen" from other people.

Second... What should they taste like, look like, and the texture?

I ask because I bought one today at Hobby Lobby and I don't think it was
right.

They are not common in this area.

We got them all the time when I lived in Wichita.

Then when we moved here to WA, we would get them at this one Mexican
restaurant. They were just like I remembered. Round, kind of flat like a
cookie and loaded with pecan nut halves. The taste was rich and of brown
sugar and it had sort of a gritty/sugary feel in the mouth. Not exactly
crisp but hard to describe. Certainly not soft or gooey.

I do remember buying one in a Mexican grocery here a few years back and it
wasn't like I remembered it but now I can't remember why.

The one I bought today seemed just weird to me. I only had one bite. My
parents ate the rest and they said it was just fine and what it was
supposed to taste like. But I think they were wrong.

First this was made with a mix of pecans and walnuts and it said there
could be peanuts in it. The nuts were chopped. Not finely chopped but
pretty small pieces. And not a lot of nuts.

The shape was a really thick, chunky oval. Much thicker than I think it
should be.

The texture was soft and creamy. The nuts were not crisp at all and there
was no brown sugar taste or mouthfeel. My parents said it tasted rich to
them but it didn't to me. Not at all. Just sweet. Kind of sickly sweet.
The texture was just creamy. Sort of like a really thick cake icing. And
I don't think that's right.

I have looked up various recipes and I can't really tell what the texture
should be from those but the shape and look of them is exactly like I
remembered.

So... How should they be?

Thanks!

I've never made them before, but I'm going to try this recipe.
http://www.food.com/recipe/pralines-27340

It contains whipping/heavy cream. I've seen sweetened condensed milk in
other recipes.

You might want to watch a video before you make them. Pralines are kind of
tricky.

Some people toast the pecans first.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)