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Pecan Pralines
1 lb. brown sugar 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup butter 2 cups whole pecan meats Stir sugar, water, and butter together over slow fire until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Add pecans and boil until thermometer registers (254 degrees F.) or until mixture forms hard ball when tested in cold water. Have ready large slab, clean and well oiled and drop mixture like pancakes, allowing them to spread out until about 1/3 in. thick and 5 in. in diameter, Work quickly.
A straightforward boiled-sugar candy that depends almost entirely on hitting the right temperature and then moving fast. Everything should be measured, oiled and within arm's reach before the pan goes on the heat.
- The hinge: 254FThat is the hard-ball stage, noticeably firmer than the 236-240F soft ball used for creamy New Orleans pralines. At 254F these set firm and hard rather than fudgy, so a few degrees either way changes the texture. Check your thermometer in boiling water first and adjust for its reading.
- A pound of brown sugarRoughly 2 1/4 cups packed. Light or dark both work; dark brown gives a deeper molasses note and a slightly darker set.
- "Slow fire"Low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved and the syrup is clear against the side of the pan — undissolved crystals are the usual cause of a grainy batch. Once it is dissolved, raise the heat and stop stirring.
- The slabA marble slab was standard equipment in period candy kitchens. Two large baking sheets lined with parchment or a silicone mat serve the same purpose, and need no oiling.
- Pan sizeUse a heavy saucepan at least three times the depth of the syrup. Boiling sugar climbs, and this one goes well above the boiling point of water.
- Work quickly, literallyThe mixture stiffens fast once off the heat, so drop the whole batch in quick succession; if the last of it sets up in the pan, a few seconds back over low heat will loosen it.
- Size and yieldAt 5 inches across these are very large by modern standards, and the batch will make only a handful of them. Two-inch rounds are easier to serve and store.
- WeatherSugar candy pulls moisture from the air. Make these on a dry day and store them airtight between sheets of waxed paper, not stacked bare.