December 31, 2004

By TOMMIE C. SIMMONS / Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. — Small wonder many cooks, beginner and seasoned alike, are hesitant to make pralines. Cookbook recipes typically carry dire warnings not to make the pecan candy on a humid day.

But every Louisiana cook knows that a gracious host is only as good as his or her pralines. Pralines are the sweet of choice from November, when the pecan crop comes in, through the end of Mardi Gras.

Sooner rather than later, every beginner cook, and especially a cook who likes to entertain, needs to learn to make pralines, humidity or not.

Expert praline maker Carol Anne Blitzer of The (Baton Rouge) Advocate's food staff agreed to demonstrate her "foolproof" method for making pralines in the microwave. Using the microwave, she says, eliminates the need to stand over the stove and stir while the sugar cooks.

It rained the day of the lesson, all morning, throughout the lesson and into the evening. Her pralines not only cooked as effortlessly as usual, they also set perfectly, despite the rain and humidity.

Ms. Blitzer has made pralines so many times that she doesn't have or use a candy thermometer while making them. But she is an exception to the rule; you should buy and use a candy thermometer for pralines and other candies.

For pralines, the sugar should reach a soft-ball stage of 234 F to 240 F. If the candy mixture cooks too long, the pralines will turn into taffy or brittle, which is what happened to a novice candy cook who followed Ms. Blitzer's method without a candy thermometer.

Key points

The oven: Ms. Blitzer uses a 10-year-old microwave oven labeled 900 watts power. A more powerful microwave would cook the sugar mixture faster, so the candy would be overcooked in the time given in the recipe. Adjust cooking time to suit your appliance.

Cream of tartar: The cream of tartar, a stabilizing powdered acid derived from the crystalline acid deposited on the inside of wine barrels, helps produce a creamy consistency in the praline.

Not all praline recipes contain cream of tartar, but may list other solidifying agents including baking soda, vinegar, corn syrup and cornstarch.

Spooning the pralines: Ms. Blitzer spoons her cooked pralines onto aluminum foil to set. She works on a stainless steel counter top so she does not need to insulate the counter top.

Other praline testers found that they needed to insulate their counter tops when working atop Formica or other non-heat resistant materials. They found that placing folded newspapers or towels underneath wax paper or aluminum foil did the job.

Follow the recipe: You can't double a praline recipe; you have to make two batches. The increased amount of crystallizing candy mixture couldn't be spooned out fast enough before it set in the pot.

The pan: Ms. Blitzer suggests a good-size saucepan or large bowl.

"You don't want to have boiling sugar splashing on you as you stir, so use at least a 2-quart saucepan with a strong handle, or a sturdy mixing bowl," she says.

Microwave Pralines

Ingredients:

½ pint whipping cream
1 pound light brown sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
2 cups pecans
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine whipping cream and sugar in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Add cream of tartar and salt. Microwave at high (100 percent power) for 13 minutes. (Recipe was tested using a 900-watt microwave that has a turntable.) You want the mixture to reach 234 F to 240 F.

At the same time, slowly toast pecans in a 350 F oven, turning frequently so they do not burn.

Remove whipping-cream mixture from microwave to check the temperature. Remove pecans from oven.

Add butter to whipping-cream mixture. Stir quickly until butter is melted and mixture begins to lose its gloss. Add vanilla and pecans. Quickly turn out by spoonfuls onto aluminum foil. Makes about 24 pralines.

SOURCE: Carol Anne Blitzer

Pralines

Ingredients:

¾ cup white granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt
¼ stick butter or margarine
1 cup pecan halves

Directions:

In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the white sugar, brown sugar and evaporated milk to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir syrup for about 6 minutes.

When the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage (234 F to 240 F), remove pot from heat and add vanilla, salt and butter or margarine. Stir until the butter is melted, then add the pecans.

Beat the candy while it is hot, and as soon as it begins to lose its glossy sheen, drop the candy by spoonfuls onto wax paper set on top of newspapers to protect counter top or aluminum foil. Makes 12 pralines.

Note: Be sure to get the wax paper or foil in place and have all utensils ready and ingredients measured before starting to cook the syrup.

SOURCE: Camille M. Cassidy

Creamy Pralines

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar
½ cup margarine
16 large marshmallows
½ cup evaporated milk
2 cups pecan halves
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook sugar, margarine, marshmallows and evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted.

Stir in pecans and continue cooking to soft-ball stage, 236 F on candy thermometer. This stage is reached pretty quickly after stirring in the pecans so carefully watch the temperature.

Remove from heat and add vanilla. Beat until thickened. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper set atop a folded bath towel or folded newspapers.

Let pralines cool and set. When cooled, put pralines in a cookie tin with a tightly fitting lid or in plastic self-sealing bags. Makes about 3 dozen pralines.

SOURCE: Adapted from Beulah G. Weimer's recipe in From the Sugar Bowl cookbook published by The American Sugar Cane League.