How to: make hazelnut praline
Praline sounds so chic and tastes that way too, but making it yourself is very easy. You only need two ingredients, and it’s the perfect crunchy finish for your cake or next ice cream sundae.
Crunchy finish, huh? But isn’t praline in a bonbon? Let me clear things up first. Praline (without the accent) is a Belgian bonbon. Praliné (with the accent) is a mixture of nuts and caramel that is crushed into a crunchy, sweet topping. Praliné is sometimes ground extra finely and then mixed with chocolate to use as a bonbon filling. Still with me?
Traditionally, praline is made with hazelnuts, but you can also vary it with other nuts. One of my other favorites is pistachio praline, but you can also use almonds, peanuts, or pecans. With peanuts especially, it’s delicious to add a good pinch of salt. Or go wild and use a mix of nuts. The world is your oyster.
Roasted nuts
Whatever nuts you use: roast them first! Roasting nuts makes the flavor much more intense and therefore more delicious. The best way to do this is in the oven. Preheat it to 175 ºC and roast the hazelnuts for approx. 15 minutes. Toss halfway through. I always set my timer for 10 minutes and keep an eye on them from then on. Nuts that get too dark become bitter, which is a shame.
Let’s get started
How much you make is entirely up to you. Always use twice as much sugar as nuts, for example 100 grams of hazelnuts and 200 grams of sugar. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Melt the sugar with a small splash of water and let it simmer gently until you have a golden-brown caramel, approx. 6–8 minutes.
Do not stir the caramel, but swirl the pan occasionally to distribute the caramel across the pan. Add the nuts, pour everything onto the baking sheet, and spread it out across the sheet. The best way to do this is by moving the sheet back and forth; you can also use a ladle or spatula, but that will become a sticky mess. Whatever you do: work quickly, because the caramel hardens fast.
Wait until the caramel has hardened completely. How coarse you make the praline is entirely up to you. For coarse praline, break the caramel into pieces by hitting it with a rolling pin or pan, for example. Prefer it finer? Put everything in the food processor.
Also read:
