Valentine's Day is the day that we share the joys and marvels of one of life's greatest pleasures, love. It is the time in which the goal is to totally spoil your loved one and celebrate the beauty of your relationship. Many people want expensive gifts and trinkets for Valentine's Day, but even if you are someone that can afford to give lavish trips and luxury cars, it is worth to stop and think about giving a homemade candy gift that guarantees the pleasure of your significant other in a way that an expensive piece of jewelery can never do.
Candy is sensual, sweet and seductive which makes it the perfect gift for Valentine's Day. Of course you can buy the candy but a more meaningful thing to do would be to make the candy yourself. This would show the love of your life that you truly took the time out to give them something special this year. The perfect candy for this love gift is a delicious box of New Orleans style praline candy.
Affectionately known as "pecan candy" in New Orleans, pralines are a decadent blend of sugar, cream, butter and pecans that will excite every taste bud of your lover's mouth. Put them in a gift box along with some other presents of love and your partner will be so thankful that you will want to make them all the time. They are simple to make and it is with pleasure that I share this age old sinfully delicious recipe from the South. More FREE creole recipes and cooking tips can be found at Louisiana Creole Recipes.com
This recipe makes approximately 12 pralines.
"Authentic New Orleans Pralines"
Ingredients:
2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup of light brown sugar
18 ounces of evaporated milk(about 1 1/2 12 ounce cans)
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
In a sturdy saucepan or pot combine the sugar and milk and bring to a boil over a medium-high flame. Cook this mixture stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until it reaches the soft ball candy stage(about 235 degrees if you are using a candy thermometer or when mixture forms a soft ball when dropped in ice water). This will take about 30 minutes. Make sure that you don't stop stirring as the mixture will thicken too quickly and burn if left unattended. After the mixture reaches the soft ball stage add the remaining ingredients(butter,pecans and vanilla extract) and turn off the heat. Stir the mixture for approximately three additional minutes adding a little milk if it gets too thick to stir. Spoon the mixture in the portion sizes that you want onto waxed paper and let cool.
ENJOY !
By Zarian Phipps
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