How to Make Praline
Knowing how to make praline will allow for a fantastic sweet twist to the serving of any type of nut. The following ‘how to’ breaks down this simple process for you. The first stage requires you to make caramel.
Steps
1- Calculate the ratio beforehand. Quantities will vary according to how much caramel you want to make. 300g of sugar can be made into hard caramel with six tablespoons of water.
2- Stir over heat. Stir the sugar and water together in a deep, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Once the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring.
3- Remove grains. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to get rid of any crystals of sugar clinging to the sides of the pan. If not removed, they can turn your caramel grainy.
4- Boil to desired colour. Increase the heat and bring the syrup to a boil until the sugar turns golden-brown. Caramel can burn very easily, so watch it carefully.
5- Cool quickly. When the caramel is done, plunge the base of the pan into a sink full of cold water for a minute. This stops the caramel from cooking further and getting too brown.
6- Stir in nuts. Stir toasted, skinned almonds or hazelnuts into the caramel a few minutes before it is finished cooking.
7- Place on parchment. Pour the mixture out onto a baking tray lined with parchment and allow to cool completely. It is extremely hot so don’t touch until fully cooled.
8- Break caramel. Once set, break the hard caramel into pieces and blend in a food processor to a fine powder.
Tips
Use as a delicious topping for desserts such as ice-cream.
Try different types of sugar for different tastes and colours. I’m a particular fan of all thing dark muscavado.