pam@cepu (Pamela McGarvey) (10/31/86)
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.RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE PECAN-PRALINES D "24 May 86" 1986
.RZ "PECAN PRALINES" "Texas-style creamy pecan cookies"
My family is from Texas, and we dearly love ``authentic''
Mexican food. Authentic as defined by my father: home-style Tex-Mex.
(On a trip to Acapulco, he complained that he couldn't
find any real Mexican food in the whole damn town.)
.PP
We feel that the perfect ending to an orgy of tacos, enchiladas,
tamales, beans, rice and \fIDos Equis\fR beer is pralines.
However, we have
been consistently disappointed by the pralines served at restaurants.
They are always either crystalline and crunchy, or sticky like undercooked
taffy. Both are equally unacceptble.
.PP
At the age of 10, I decided to try my hand at making pralines, and
happened on a recipe in a current (1958) issue of \fIThe
Ladies Home Journal\fR, which I accidently adapted to make the
perfect praline\(emnot gooey, not crunchy, but of a solid consistency
that becomes creamy in texture as it is eaten. The secret is
to first screw up the recipe (at this point you are tempted to throw
the whole thing out, including the pot) and then rectify the mistake
into a wonderfully sinful sugary concoction. Now, no Mexican dinner
or Christmas candy plate at our house is complete without them.
.IH "Makes 16\-24"
.IG "1 cup" "milk" "240 ml"
.IG "1 cup" "white granulated sugar" "190 g"
.IG "1 cup" "dark brown sugar," "200 g"
firmly packed.
.IG "1 tsp" "vanilla extract" "5 ml"
.IG "3 Tbsp" "dark corn syrup" "45 ml"
.IG "8 oz" "pecan halves" "225 g"
.IG "\(34 cup" "boiling hot water" "180 ml"
.IG "24" "cupcake papers"
.PH
.SK 1
Place the white sugar, brown sugar, milk and corn syrup in a heavy
.AB "3-quart" "3-liter"
saucepan
over medium-high heat. Stir to thoroughly dissolve.
.SK 2
Measuring the temperature with a candy thermometer, stir constantly
with a long-handled wooden spoon.
When the mixture reaches ``jelly'' temperature on the thermometer
.TE "(220" "(104" ")"
it will bubble furiously. Splattering is a danger (this is why you want a
spoon with a long handle).
You may wish to wear heavy rubber gloves for further protection.
Continue stirring until mixture reaches
.TE 256 124
(``medium ball'' stage).
.SK 3
Remove from heat, add vanilla and let it sit
for 10 minutes. During this time, set out the cupcake papers on the
countertop and place 3\-4 pecan halves in each paper.
.SK 4
Beat the mixture by hand with the wooden spoon, while it is still in the pan,
until it loses its glossy sheen. This can take up to 10 minutes or more,
and calls for a strong arm.
.SK 5
At this point, the mixture will very quickly begin
to form lumps and harden in the pan. As this begins to happen,
return the pan to low heat; add boiling hot
water a tablespoon at a time, and beat out the
lumps until nearly all are gone. Add just
enough water so that the mixture is somewhat runny and has
lost much of its previous lumpy consistency (no
more than
.AB "\(34 cup" "180 ml"
of water, and often much less.)
Leaving a few lumps is permissible and often unavoidable.
.SK 6
Remove from heat and spoon it into the cupcake papers.
Let it harden for 20\-30 minutes, then remove papers.
Be sure not to let the papers remain on after the candy has hardened
somewhat or they will be difficult to remove later.
.NX
I prefer Karo brand corn syrup.
.PP
Store the pralines in an airtight container.
.SH RATING
.I Difficulty:
moderate to hard.
.I Time:
30 minutes cooking, 30 minutes cooling.
.I Precision:
Measure the ingredients and the temperatures.
.WR
Pamela McGarvey
UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
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