Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed, light brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cup whole pecan halves
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
NOTE: Chocolate chips should be chilled.
Assemble all the ingredients and utensils before starting to cook.
(Measure out the chocolate chips and keep them refregerated until just
before needed.) You will need a large, heavy-bottomed aluminum pot or
skillet with deep sides, a long-handled metal whisk or spoon, 2 large
spoons (or an ice cream scoop with a manual release) and a very
lightly greased cookie sheet. Melt the butter in the pot over high
heat; add the sugars, milk, cream and chopped pecans. cook 5
minutes, whisking constantly. reduce heat to medium, and continue
cooking and whisking 10 minutes.
Add the pecan halves and continue whisking and cooking until done,
about 8 to 10 minutes. (If the mixture smokes excessively toward end
of cooking time, lower thge heat.) Stir in vanilla. then immediately
drop about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips into about one-sixth of the
batter. Stir quickly and just enough to cover some of the chips with
batter but not nenough to allow the chips to melt. Quickly drop the
chocolate mixture onto the cookie sheet by heaping spoonfuls, using
the second spoon to push the batter off the first (or use ice cream
scoop); each praline should be about 2 inches in diameter and 1/2
inch thick. repeat with remaining mixture, stirring briefly before
adding more chocolate chips. The cooled pralines should be light
brown, opaque, somewhat chunky and crumbly. LAGNIAPPE: To clean the
pot and utensils, boil water in the pot with the utensils in it. This
will melt the batter off. From Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen.
Servings: 24 servings
Chocolate Pecan Pralines - Prudhomme Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Candy; Chocolate; Dessert; Nut; Pecan
The History of Recipes
We are able to follow the history of written recipes far back into antiquity, at least as far back as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and potentially, even further back. However, mostly, these old recipes were just simple hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to academics is a collection of clay tablets in Sumerian which recount the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. As we move on, we find two recipe books published in the fourteenth century - a cookery book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, they are not about the indian curry that we all know today, but rather descriptions of the types of food cooked for the upper classes. Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought back many foods and spices from middle-east cuisine, including spices like coriander, parsley, and basil. These new herbs and spices was responsible for an increase in recipe books, most of which are now in private collections. During the following few hundred years, the powerful and wealthy houses competed to offer the most extravagent banquests, and because of this the best chefs and their recipes were at a premium. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that cookery and recipe books became really popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to collating, testing, and recording recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. By the time we get to the 1900s, cook books are in great demand, as a result of higher levels of literacy, people having increased spare time and having more disposable income. The arrival of television gave us TV cookery programs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of the internet, allowing us all to search through massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chocolate Pecan Pralines Prudhomme recipe.
