Pralines de Mexico

I found two recipes for Pralines in the yellow box, so I decided it was time for another taste test. "Test" isn't an accurate term, though, because I'd already picked out the winner just by reading the ingredients. I'm generally against anything that includes pre-packaged processed foods, so the Praline recipe that called for a box of butterscotch pudding and evaporated milk was automatically #2 against this simple combination of butter, sugars, and nuts. I can't say the other recipe tasted bad, but I prefer this one.

Candy-making is tricky, though. My grandmother (along with the rest of her generation) tested the readiness of her fudge, divinity, etc., by drizzling a sample into cold water to check the firmness. I'm sure with a LOT of trial and error, I would eventually get the hang of the old-fashioned way, but I'm very much a novice, and very much reliant on my candy thermometer. Even so, I overcooked my first batch by stepping away from the stove for two minutes. The syrup hardened faster than I could spoon it out of the pot, so all I could do was dump the rest of it into a sad pile at the end of the baking sheet:

The clumps that I did manage to form ended up too hard and grainy for a proper praline patty. The good news is that they still tasted good, and were perfect for crumbling into a praline topping for ice cream! I even stirred some crumbles along with cooled caramel sauce into homemade vanilla ice cream, and oh-my-yumness, it was one of the most delicious desserts I've ever made.

I still wanted to make this recipe correctly, so I tried again the next day, with much better (though not perfect) results.

Everything but the nuts goes in the pan. Easy!

Stir occasionally until boiling (I used a wooden spoon), then add the nuts and bring to a boil again. Still easy!

I kept a close eye on the candy thermometer, and turned off the heat when the temperature hit 238F.

The next part of the instructions says to stir rapidly until mixture just begins to lose its gloss. That's a little vague, so I wasn't entirely sure if I stopped stirring at the right moment, but I at least managed to get the whole batch spooned out into individual portions, even if they weren't exactly pretty.

Between this batch and the second Praline recipe I made afterwards, I learned that the main trick is stirring prior to portioning out the mixture. If you spoon it out too soon, it stays glossy and sticky without ever setting up firm. If you stir too much, it turns opaque and hardens in the pot. The largest portion in the photo above (lowest row, second from left) was the last scrapings of the pan that I barely managed to clump together. Most of the rest of them oozed into nice little patties before setting up, and even though they aren't the pretty rounds you can find in Southern candy counters, I was really pleased with the flavor and texture (firm, but soft to bite into).

I'll have to work on my portioning technique before I go giving them out as part of my holiday goody box, but I am definitely adding this recipe to my sweet-treat repertoire.
________________________
Pralines de Mexico
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
5 tbsp. water
1½ cups chopped pecans or 2 cups whole pecans

Combine all ingredients except nuts in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to boil. Add nuts and continue mixing over medium heat until mixture reaches soft ball stage of 238F. Remove from heat and stir rapidly until mixture just begins to lose its gloss. Quickly* drop candy from teaspoon onto waxed paper. Allow to cool and harden.
________________________

* Recruit a buddy to help spoon out the portions double-time.
   Also, use a second spoon to scrape the syrup off the dipping spoon.