Hey ya’ll! It’s Mardi Gras time! So that means let’s eat all the sweet, sugary and fatty things that you may be giving up for an upcoming 40 day span. However, if you’re giving up nothing, then you can just eat these forever and ever amen. I’m talking about these rosemary pecan pralines.
I can’t say that there are that many things that I took away from my time in New Orleans, save for a few graduate degrees, a penchant for a daily cafe au lait, and some of my bestest friends. Okay, I guess those are major and significant things but otherwise, the traditions and vibe and personality of the city that permeated my every day for the better part of four years never stuck. I never really adopted a laissez fair attitude. Between school and work, I rarely let the good times roll. And much of the food that is so beloved and cherished by a city with such a solid food culture was lost on me, since it tended to be too rich for both my tastes and my pocketbook.
However, a few foodie things I do think back on with longing every once in a while: beignets (which I’ve done my best to recreate here with Joy’s help and direction), the best turkey sandwich, unrivaled and pralines, a treat that shows up in bakery cases, on cheesecakes, and as a garnish or afterthought on many a dish. And since I love nuts, and sugar, and anything that combines the two, I thought it was time to finally make them myself as we’re staring down the Tuesday where anything and everything goes.
I am not one to make a lot of candy in my home, mostly because I can’t be bothered to spend the time to do it right. Candy making is an art, a science, may take patience and equipment and the potential risk of being burned by molten sugar. If you’re working with chocolate, doing it right means tempering to get a nice glossy shine and frankly, I ain’t got time for that. I have a few exceptions, like my family’s peanut brittle, which I’ve made time and again the way that I make it and it doesn’t require much thought or concentration. Otherwise, I sort of stay away.
That being said, I’m up for the occasional challenge and for a reason unbeknownst to me, I had the strongest desire to make these pralines, and to add rosemary to them. For absolutely no reason, the combination of praline and rosemary would not escape my consciousness, and so there was no denying that this would happen as much as I wanted to keep my candy thermometer tucked away.
On that note, when looking through the internet for a recipe, any recipe, for pralines that do not include the words “candy thermometer” or “soft ball stage,” I can up pretty empty, so I resigned myself to the fact that I had to use the thermometer. My metal block around it is nonsensical- clipping a thermometer to the side of a pot is not a challenging feat. Well, it has been for me, in my mind only. I wish I could tell you that I knew enough about candy to tell you that you don’t need it, that you will know your candy is ready when it looks, smells and bubbles a certain way, but my candy making prowess is not up to that kind of snuff. So pull out your thermometer, because that’s just how we’re going to do it.
Besides my addition of fresh rosemary, the recipe comes adapted from here. Their texture is soft and crumbly, the way that I like it rather than crispy and more brittle-like. There are many ways to praline, and this was the one that I like best.
Rosemary Pecan Pralines
These rosemary pecan pralines are a traditional southern candy with an herby twist. Crumbly and soft in texture, they are a favorite for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 TB unsalted butter
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/4 cup raw unsalted whole pecans
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, stems removed, coarsely chopped
Directions
- Step 1 Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
- Step 2 Add the sugars and cream to a medium pot over medium heat. Stir regularly until the sugar has dissolved.
- Step 3 When it begins to foam and boil, and the sugar has dissolved, stir constantly until a candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees.
- Step 4 Remove from heat and add the butter, and let sit 45 seconds. Add the pecans, baking soda, rosemary, salt and vanilla extract.
- Step 5 Stir vigorously and constantly with a wooden spoon for about 4 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. The longer you stir, the thicker the mixture gets but be careful to not let it get too thick, or it’ll be hard to scoop the pralines.
- Step 6 Drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment paper and allow them to cool and firm. Spread out the mixture if you prefer your pralines to be flatter. Stirring the mixture after every few scoops keeps it from seizing.
- Step 7 When pralines are cool and firm, store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
