Pecan Praline

Or Things I'm Obsessed With

I took my much younger half sister to New Orleans to celebrate her high school graduation. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It was way too adult for her, way too many options, with few if any that were right for her. I on the other hand had a blast getting my fortune told in the back of a sketchy old store. I still have the cassette tape of that reading. Shame I can’t play it back. I found the perfect woodsy, lightly floral but deep scent at Hove perfumerie. She had her first beer in a bar there. It’s New Orleans after all. I had just finished pastry school, just started making cakes in my spare time, but was fully obsessed. Everywhere I looked I was inspired to find some way to turn the iconic images from that old and perfectly worn city, into cake. Every detail caught my attention and I was dreaming up ways of using wrought iron, Mardi Gras costumes, colors and vibes in my work.

She was bored, didn’t know what to do, or what she should even want to do, and she barely knew me. It was July and it was hot, the baking kind of hot, and humid like you’d expect the summer in the south to be. I was just super excited to be going and to be going with my sister.

I’d wanted a baby sister for as long as I can remember. And then when I least expected it, I got one. It didn’t live up to the hype. We didn’t live together. We’d spent some weekends together in the city, but either her mother or my husband Jay was along for the ride. We’d never been alone together for that length of time, and it showed.

It was food that filled the gap. I learned what beignets are all about and had them every morning. I was inspired to make my own muffuletta. It wouldn’t be traditional. I’m picky. I swap the olives for artichoke, the gardeinere for sun-dried tomatoes. It was on rotation at Sugar Couture when we offered savory things. But after having my first praline, finding the perfect formula was the mission. These are the ones I know and crave, and all others are now compared against.

This recipe is easy. And fast. And not just for me. Once the ingredients are measured for the mise en place, it comes together in about 15 minutes. Don’t let fear of cooking sugar stop you from making these. Confections are so much easier to make when there is a baseline understanding of what’s going on.

Here’s a little primer on cooking sugar.

Feel free to skip ahead to the recipe too.

The only special equipment needed is a thermometer. The final temperature determines the final texture of the candy. The higher the temperature the sugar is cooked to, the firmer the final product. Often with sugar cooking the effort is to avoid sugar crystallizing, but with pralines its the opposite. Its all about controlling the crystallization, which is a process where the sugar melts and then is either worked so that it doesn’t crystallize, or where crystals are encouraged to reform into a different structure in the candy. Too much crystallization and it can turn the batch into a gritty brick.

Caramel can be made wet or dry. The dry method demands constant attention, but it rewards you with no real chance of the sugar crystallizing. A wet caramel starts off with water and sugar in a pan. Care is taken to brush any sugar crystals below the surface of the water. Any errant crystals that are left behind and don’t melt into the water can become a seed. It only takes one to start the chain reaction. I like to think of crystallization as a New York college party. The apartment is so small and hot, packed with people oozing out of the door to the hallway. It only takes one buzzed aspiring actress to lose their balance, fall into the aspiring director next to her, and everyone is being pushed into everyone else. Its hot and crazy, and uncontrollable. Unlike that party, crystallization is controllable, and that’s the goal of almost all candy making. Knowing what the final texture is meant to be, and manipulating the parameters to alter it.

Pecan pralines are so tender, they crumble in your mouth. Fats like butter or cream, or other interfering agents, can get in between the sugar crystals and keep it from setting too hard, and keep you from breaking a tooth. They interfere. They taste good. Think of a little personal space around everyone at that party.

Crystals can form from technical mistakes or foreign particles in the sugar. Make sure nothing fell into the sugar. It can begin from unmelted crystals at the rim of the water, that can spur the reaction. That’s why we brush down the sides. I like to put the sugar in the pot first, then pour the water around the sides of the pan, and stir just the smallest of amounts so that all the sugar and water are in contact before it goes on the heat. Once over heat, there is no stirring allowed. Stirring is the cause of and requirement for crystallization. Crystals are active and they grow until they no longer can. It’s safe to stir or gently swirl the pan once the sugar has begun to change from clear to yellow caramel stage, which lets us know there is almost no water left. No water, no chance of crystallizing.

Dry caramel on the other hand has no water in it to start the cooking process. A very hot pan has thin layers of granulated sugar added to it while stirring pretty constantly. The sugar can lump up a bit, so often there will be an acid to help prevent that. When the sugar hits the hot pan, it almost immediately starts to melt, and quickly turns caramel. Adding the next layer of sugar stalls that caramelization stage of the sugar already melted and darkening. The one drawback from this method is that its very easy to burn the sugar. If the sugar gets too far before the next batch is added, it can burn from the start, and those flavors will remain throughout the entire batch. I like a dark mature caramel, but no one likes it burnt.

Pralines never get hot enough to reach the caramel stage, and much of their rich complex flavor comes from brown sugar and butter, like a butterscotch.

Its cooked stirring constantly until it reaches 238°-240° or the soft ball stage, far enough to hold its shape, with more support from the sugar’s crystal structure developing through agitation. This is a place where I think the vanilla bean is queen. With such a simple ingredients it makes gets to show off and make these candies special. Whole bean isn’t always the best choice, but here it is. But for sure, use what you have. The nuts are toasted to bring out their oils and deepen their flavors. Don’t skip that step. All the ingredients except the nuts are cooked together, stirring, until the mixture reaches 238°-240° when its removed from the heat. All the nuts are dropped in at once, and stirred. I like these to be a bit thick, so I like to wait a few minutes until the sugar just starts to thicken before scooping or spooning the mixture quickly onto silpat or parchment lined trays. Once they start to set, it will go very very fast. Cool, and enjoy. With all ingredients within easy reach, they come together in a half hour. But maybe don’t take my word for that.

Pecan Pralines

Makes 12- 1 ounce candies

Ingredients:

• 315 grams granulated sugar

• 150 grams brown sugar

• 110 grams evaporated milk

• 85 grams salted butter

• 1 bean or 2 tsp vanilla

• 165 grams pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Place pecans on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove and cool.

Place the remaining ingredients into a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan. If using vanilla bean, scrape it into the pan, and put the husk in too.

Cook until the mixture stirring constantly until the sugar reaches 238°-240°.

Remove the pot from the heat, and pour in the pecans all at once. Stir. If using vanilla extract or paste, add it here.

Prepare a sheet pan lined with silpat or parchment paper. Let the sugar cool until it thickens up a bit, like honey. Using a scoop or spoon, portion out the individual candies. Don’t touch them though, they are still super hot.

Let them cool.

Store any extras in an airtight container.

Watch the process: