I love praline with any nut in the world. It’s sweet, caramelized, crispy and a perfect addition to many savoury and sweet dishes. It can sound complicated, but the truth is that once you learn how to make praline, you’re going to want to add it to everything all the time.
Pralines (US: /ˈpreɪliːn/; New Orleans, Cajun, and UK: /ˈprɑːliːn/) are confections containing nuts – usually almonds, pecans and hazelnuts – and sugar. Cream is a common third ingredient.
Options for your praline
Making praline is pretty easy and once you get the hang of it you’ll even keep a stash. It’s really good in salads to give them a crispy touch. Of course, it’s also great in desserts like in my crêpe cake, banana ice cream, chocolate mousse, etc. In this case, I made a hazelnut praline for my almond and chocolate cake, but you can use almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios… whichever you prefer!
I recommend that you always avoid placing praline in the fridge for a long period of time. If it’s there for too long, the humidity will make it melt and lose its crispiness. The ideal is to keep it at room temperature in an airtight container until it’s time to serve. Before serving, give the container a shake. This will divide the little pieces that tend to stick to each other a bit. Where it DOES stay really crispy is in the freezer, so feel free to add it to your favourite ice creams.
Once the praline is ready, you can chop it up using a knife (I personally prefer this). You could also use a food processor, depending on the size you want to chop it to. In general, I recommend that you chop it small so that you don’t break someone’s teeth. Of course, don’t chop it SO small that you barely feel it anymore. If you use a food processor, you can actually make a praline paste. It’s basically a nut butter made with caramel. It’s used in many sweet preparations!
Phil’s 10-Minute Louisiana Pralines (RECIPE) | Phil Robertson
FAQ
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