Hi --

I think that "pralines" differ somewhat according to geography. My mom
adores the "Texas" style ones from her youth, which sound like the ones
you're describing: texture of maple sugar candy with pecans sprinkled
throughout.

I think the chewier ones come from further east.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

Although they are shaped and look a bit like cookkies, they are candy.
After the nuts, they contain two kinds of sugar and a bit of syrup --
some recipes may vary. It's sugar candy. Yes, just like those maple
thingies.

The "praline" name is also used in syrups, cake frostings, etc., that
may use nuts and sugars -- just representing trhe same essential taste.

In my book, they're nothing to write home about, or take home.

Now, if you buy the fudge in New Orleans, that's worth it. Of course,
it's the same as fudge anywhere else in the world.

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.
SNIP

Yeah, I don't care for those crystalline things either. Though you find
mostly the crystalline kind here in Houston, the one's we like are carmely
and chewy with more pecans than candy. They taste like the pecans have been
toasted before being added to the candy mixture because they have a
wonderful pecan flavor. Sorry, I can't remember the brand.

Raj V

at Sun, 17 Apr 2005 20:24:25 GMT in <bdh5611jvnrfqpprpfggogjg3e5r543c5p@
4ax.com>, (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.

The term praline seems to cover a very wide variety of confections, really
the only common thread being that they involve nuts cooked in sugar. In the
southern USA, pralines seem to be either a hard crystalline candy with nuts
in it, or a soft, semi-chewy candy used to bind large nuts. In Belgium,
pralines are generally chocolates with a pastelike nut filling which can
have a texture ranging anywhere from slightly grainy like fudge to super-
smooth like creamy peanut butter. I've also seen the term used to describe
individual nuts with a caramelised sugar coating. So I think the real
answer is, the problem isn't with the candy you got as such, but rather
with the term.



--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

at Sun, 17 Apr 2005 20:24:25 GMT in <bdh5611jvnrfqpprpfggogjg3e5r543c5p@
4ax.com>, (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.

The term praline seems to cover a very wide variety of confections, really
the only common thread being that they involve nuts cooked in sugar. In the
southern USA, pralines seem to be either a hard crystalline candy with nuts
in it, or a soft, semi-chewy candy used to bind large nuts. In Belgium,
pralines are generally chocolates with a pastelike nut filling which can
have a texture ranging anywhere from slightly grainy like fudge to super-
smooth like creamy peanut butter. I've also seen the term used to describe
individual nuts with a caramelised sugar coating. So I think the real
answer is, the problem isn't with the candy you got as such, but rather
with the term.



--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

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