Thursday, June 23, 2016

Pray-leen, Praw-line or Prah-lean

The word for today is "praline". No other spelling other than p-r-a-l-i-n-e. How you pronounce it is an entirely different and somewhat debatable subject matter. Pray-leen, praw-line or prah-lean? In the good ol' USA, the most acceptable pronunciation is "pray-leen". You know...just like something you do in church. Along the East Coast of Georgia, it's pronounced "praw-line" if you please. In Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast, the tendency leans more toward the southern “prah-leen” because of the French cultural influence in the area. The candy's namesake after all is du Plessis-Praslin, a 17th century French nobleman. No matter how you pronounce it, praline candy makes for a mighty fine treat.

June 24...

National Pralines Day

Take a really close look at the image above...a closer look! At first glance you might think you are seeing a chunk of praline candy but it actually more closely resembles a hunk of pecan brittle. Let your eyes scan down pass the glazed pecans on top and focus solely on the bottom upon which the sugary goodness rests. Yep! That's not candy at all but fish. Not just any fish but succulent salmon! Of course, another giveaway is the roasted asparagus to the left and brown rice on the right. Don't think anyone would serve a portion of praline candy as the main course meat. Last I heard candy is not considered a meat substitute. Want the recipe? Click HERE for Praline-Glazed Salmon...

What IS praline?

For those who’ve enjoyed pralines from the U.S. state of Louisiana, one source reports this candy being primarily a melted blend of sugars, butter, cream and pecans. Another basically describes praline as caramelized sugar with toasted nuts developed in the 17th Century in France. Differing from the US version, in France, pralines are made with almonds or hazelnuts. When French settlers brought the recipe to Louisiana, pecans were substituted for the almonds and cream added to the sugar syrup.

Is praline the same as brittle?

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pecan-pralines

Click the image for an even different recipe

Pecan Pralines

1 lb. brown sugar

1/8 t. salt

3/4 c. evaporated milk

1 T. butter

2 c. pecan halves

Mix sugar, salt, milk and butter in a saucepan. Cook over high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pecans, and cook to soft ball stage. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir until thick and starting to coat pecans. Drop by spoonful onto foil or parchment paper. If mixture hardens too soon, stir in small amounts of hot water.

Click image for Pecan Brittle

Peanut Brittle

2 c. sugar

1 c. white corn syrup

1/2 c. water

2 c. raw Spanish peanuts

1 T. butter

1 t. vanilla

1 t. baking soda

In large saucepan, cook sugar, syrup and water to hard ball stage. Add peanuts and cook until golden brown. Add butter and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Add soda and stir well. Do not stir too long after adding soda. Pour into buttered 10 x 15 x 1 jellyroll pan. Yield: 2 pounds.