Pecan pralines

 
                               PECAN PRALINES
 
 Recipe By     : 
 Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Candies                          Usenet
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    1       c            Milk
    1       c            Sugar, granulated
    1       c            Dark brown sugar,
                         -firmly packed
    1       t            Vanilla extract
    3       T            Corn syrup, dark
    8       oz           Pecan halves
      3/4   c            Water, boiling
   24                    Cupcake papers
 
   Place the white sugar, brown sugar, milk and corn syrup in a heavy about
   3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir to thoroughly dissolve.
   
   Measuring the temperature with a candy thermometer, stir constantly with a
   long-handled wooden spoon.  When the mixture reaches "jelly" temperature on
   the thermometer (220 degrees), 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 256 degrees ("medium-ball" stage).
   
   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.
   
   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.
   
   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
   about     3/4 cup of water, and often much less.) Leaving a few lumps is
   permissible and often unavoidable.
   
   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.
   
   Store the pralines in an airtight container.
   
   NOTES:
   
   *   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.)
   
   We feel that the perfect ending to an orgy of tacos, enchiladas, tamales,
   beans, rice and Dos Equis 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 unacceptable.
   
   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 _The Ladies Home Journal_, which I
   accidently adapted to make the perfect praline, not 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. Yield: Makes
   16-24.
   
   : Difficulty:  moderate to hard.
   : Time:  30 minutes cooking, 30 minutes cooling.
   : Precision:  Measure the ingredients and the temperatures.
   
   : Pamela McGarvey
   : UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
   : {ihnp4!sdcrdcf,ucbvax!ucla-cs,hao}!cepu!pam
   
   : Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
  
 
 
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