When: June 24
Pralines are a candy built on caramelized sugar and pecans that exists in two distinct forms: the French almond praline (a hard, dry candy) and the New Orleans pecan praline (soft, creamy, barely set). The Southern version is the one worth knowing, and it requires precise temperature control.
The most seductive candy in Southern cooking — and one that requires patience and a thermometer.
The French praline dates to the early 17th century and was invented — or at least attributed — to the cook of Marshal César de Choiseul du Plessis-Praslin, from whose name "praline" derives. The original was simple: whole almonds in caramelized sugar, cooled hard and ground to a powder used in pastry creams and confections. Montargis, France has been making this exact candy since 1660 and holds a protected designation for it. The French praline is hard, nutty, aromatic — a pastry component that flavors rather than a standalone candy. The New Orleans praline is a completely different confection. Brought to Louisiana by French colonists, it was adapted by Creole cooks who substituted the native pecan for the European almond and added cream — cream being a crucial addition that changes everything. The cream's fat and proteins disrupt the formation of large sugar crystals as the candy cools, producing the soft, fudge-like set that distinguishes the New Orleans version from its French...