The Sweet Taste of Pralines

Sugar, butter, and condensed milk - three basic ingredients that when combined and placed over medium heat can yield either the smoothest and sweetest of treats or a complete disaster.  (If you think that "complete disaster" is a rather dramatic way of referring to failed pralines, then you have either never had them, or else you are lacking a sweet tooth that aches for them!) 

There are thousands of recipes for pralines, each varying in ingredients, cook times and methods.  A variety of milks and sugars may be used and nuts are optional. Some even go so far as to recommend the type of pot and stirring utensil to use.  

There is really no wrong recipe, but there is also no full proof one. Praline-making takes practice and patience no matter the recipe, pot or spoon.  It also takes persistence. Chances are you won't get it right the first time, which is totally normal.  If you're really committed to making pralines you need only to determine your mistake and try again. It may be that your recipe needs to be tweaked, or your cooking time adjusted.  The more you experiment the more you realize that praline-making is about timing, strategy and the weather, of course. You must stir continuously, even when your arm gets tired and your fingers begin to cramp, maintaining a keen eye for the changes your efforts produce. If you allow your woes to eclipse your anticipated reward, you will end up with sticky clusters that won't "turn," essentially Pralineless! 

Keep at it, stir, evaluate, and repeat. Think ahead.  Be ready. Lay out the wax paper to receive your clusters, have a cup of water nearby in case your pralines begin to turn in the pot. Your sweet tooth is hankering, so work quickly but don't be too hasty.  Be mindful of the things that are out of your control but certainly not uncontrollable, like the weather.  Making pralines takes more time and effort when the weather is damp, and quicker, more decisive action when it's cool.  Keep your mind on the end result, the thing that got you making pralines to begin with: satisfaction for the sweet tooth!

My experimentable, tweakable, irresistible praline recipe:

Pecan Pralines

Ingredients:  4 cups sugar

1 can condensed milk

1 stick butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups pecans

Directions:   Put sugar, condensed milk and butter into a black-bottom pot and bring to a boil; Stir constantly with a wooden spoon; Pour in vanilla and pecans; Bring to a soft ball; (Cook time: 20 minutes, longer in damp weather); Remove from heat and stir until mixture thickens; Drop tablespoonfuls of mixture onto wax paper; Cool and serve.

 Ummmm! The sweet taste of a praline! C'est tres bon!