Pecan-Pe-Khan-Pralines
Peecans are things truckers use.
That’s Prah-leens to you
These things are about as sweet as sweet can get . Add some pecans and well, that’s the best thing this side of Heaven.
Candy making is a fickle art, and sugar can be an unforgiving medium. Cooking sugar is a one way street and if it goes to far, well, add some butter to it and invent a new dish or make trash. The trash part was kind of a joke, but the point is important: please have a good digital thermometer for candy work. A few degrees up or down can make all the difference between success and rage.
Enough!
Baking paper, sometimes called parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat is very useful for this recipe. In the words of Walter White
Let’s Cook!
N'Awlins Praline
Maybe my most favorite N'Awlins treat that isn't buried on confectioner's sugar. They always remind me of a walk in the Quarter.
Ingredients
- 2 C Granulated Sugar
- 2.5 C Pecan Halves
- 3/4 C Buttermilk
- 1 oz Butter
- Dash Salt
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
Instructions
-
Prepare a jelly roll pan or sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
-
Place the first 5 ingredients in a 4 qt sauce pot, place on medium high heat. Add the thermometer and stir frequently until the sugar starts to liquify.
-
As sugar starts to liquify, stir constantly working carefully around the stem of the thermometer.
-
Cook the mixture to 235 Degrees F. Remove the thermometer, making sure not to burn you or drip the hot caramel from the end. Add the baking soda and stir. The caramel will rise rapidly. The stirring will help keep it managed and mix well the caramel.
-
Stir until the caramel starts to get stiff. Using a service spoon or a tablespoon from your dinner set, reach to the bottom of the pot, scoop some of the pecans and caramel and place that onto the prepared sheet pan.
-
Scoop and place pralines until the pan is gone. You might have some caramel left over. Hide it from everyone until they are gone then put that on ice cream and don't ever tell anyone. It is your secret.
-
The pralines should be cool to the touch and set in about 10 minute. If everyone has been good, they can have 1. One.
Pralines are, of course, good enough to eat by themselves, but, sometimes some real food is required. So, in keeping with the theme, here is a recipe for Corn Maque Choux, a traditional Creole dish. It is an excellent corn side with nearly anything. Not spicy but very flavorful. It can be served with crab cakes. These as they are presented are not spicy but that is an easy fix if you like that kind of thing.
If finding a source for crab in your part of the world just isn’t going to work, check The Crab Place. They are an affiliate and when you buy through them by clicking on the link, I earn a commission at no cost to you.
Another affiliate for kitchen equipment is Kerekes. Here is a digital thermometer for your candy making needs. Same as before, when you purchase through the link, I earn a commission at no cost to you. 
