Classic Pralines
- 1 tablespoon corn, peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups whole blanched almonds or hazelnuts
- Rub a marble, glass or Formica surface with the oil.
- Use a saucepan with a very heavy bottom to prepare this candy.
- Put the sugar and water in saucepan, and bring to boil.
- Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes or to a temperature of about 250 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Remove syrup from heat and add nuts, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until syrup becomes grainy.
- Return saucepan to heat and cook, stirring, until syrup hardens and becomes white.
- Continue to cook, stirring, until sugar grains melt and become liquid again.
- This requires time and patience.
- The cooking time will vary, depending on the intensity of the heat.
- Cook, stirring, until syrup takes on a dark, translucent, caramel color.
- This may require 10 to 15 minutes.
- Do not allow syrup to scorch or burn, or it will become bitter.
- Immediately pour and scrape the candy onto the lightly oiled surface.
- Smooth over the top.
- Let stand until cool and totally hardened.
- Candy may be broken into pieces or left whole; pieces may be pulverized in a food processor for use on top of ice cream or as a garnish or ingredient in such things as souffles in butter creams.
corn, sugar, water, whole blanched almonds
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/2805 (may not work)