Praline Baskets Food

PRALINE BASKETS

Steps:

• Put the almonds into the container of a food processor and blend until coarse-fine. The ideal consistency would be like that of whole peppercorns. There should be about three cups.
• Put the ground nuts in a saucepan, preferably with a round bottom, and add the sugar and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are evenly blended. Take care that the mixture does not burn.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Stir in the flour. Let stand until cool. Chill thoroughly. When chilled, the mixture should be easy to shape into round balls.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Divide the mixture into 14 or 16 portions, one portion at a time. Shape each portion into a round ball. It is important that you work with only two or three portions at a time. As the balls are shaped, arrange them, spaced neatly and well apart, on rectangles of parchment paper. Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper and roll each portion into circles measuring about five inches. Remove the upper sheet of parchment. (If parchment paper is not available, arrange the balls, two or three at a time, on a buttered baking sheet and flatten them into five-inch circles with the fingers.) Place in the oven on the center shelf and bake eight to 10 minutes or until golden or caramel brown. Do not burn.
• At this point, you must act quickly but cautiously. Remove the rounds from the oven and let stand briefly. The important thing is to allow the rounds to cool for a few seconds or to the precise moment when a metal spatula can be slid beneath each one. If they are allowed to stand too long, they will become brittle and cannot be shaped or molded. Quickly transfer one round at a time into a round-bottom glass or metal container with a capacity of approximately one and one-half cups. Press down to mold the round into a ''basket.'' Quickly proceed to the second and third round, pressing them into shape. The rounds must remain warm as you shape them. If they break slightly, they may be repaired with the fingers, provided they are still warm enough to be malleable. The baskets will become firm as they cool. As they become firm, remove them and set them aside to be filled as a dessert. They may be filled with a chilled pudding or custard mixture, with scoops of ice cream, with fresh fruit or berries and so on. If desired, the inside of each basket may be brushed with melted chocolate before filling.

CLASSIC PRALINES

Steps:

• Rub a marble, glass or Formica surface with the oil.
• Use a saucepan with a very heavy bottom to prepare this candy. Put the sugar and water in saucepan, and bring to boil. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes or to a temperature of about 250 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Remove syrup from heat and add nuts, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until syrup becomes grainy. Return saucepan to heat and cook, stirring, until syrup hardens and becomes white. Continue to cook, stirring, until sugar grains melt and become liquid again. This requires time and patience. The cooking time will vary, depending on the intensity of the heat. Cook, stirring, until syrup takes on a dark, translucent, caramel color. This may require 10 to 15 minutes. Do not allow syrup to scorch or burn, or it will become bitter.
• Immediately pour and scrape the candy onto the lightly oiled surface. Smooth over the top. Let stand until cool and totally hardened.
• Candy may be broken into pieces or left whole; pieces may be pulverized in a food processor for use on top of ice cream or as a garnish or ingredient in such things as souffles in butter creams.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Set oven to 375°F.
• Cream butter and brown sugar together with an electric hand mixer, or if you would rather do it by hand, a heavy spatula will work.
• Add the baking powder and egg until the mixture looks smooth and creamy.
• Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Slowly beat the flour into the mixture, a quarter cup at a time until you use all the flour.
• Add your pecans or walnuts. (I have used both together, and apart, either way they taste wonderful! In fact I have even altered this recipe and used ground almonds).
• If you think the dough is too warm you may want to put it in the freezer. When I bake in the winter I often will put all my cookie doughs in the freezer for fifteen minutes before working with them. If the dough is too warm, it will spread while baking and you will get pancakes rather then cookies :).
• Take the dough from the freezer and drop it by the teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet approx 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookie looks golden, when you lift the cookies they should have an even color on the bottom.
• Cool the cookies on a wire rack until they are cool to touch.
• While the cookies cool gather your semisweet chips and vegetable shortening in a small sandwich baggie. If you want you can use a chocolate melting double boiler. Personally I like to do things the quick and easy way, so take your baggie of chocolate and shortening and seal it closed, then put it in a bowl of warm water. Wait approximately five minutes and the chocolate should have melted. If not repeat with warmer water. Use your finger to make sure the chocolate and shortening have mixed.
• Using a scissors snip the corner of the sandwich baggie and drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies. For small drizzles make only a slight cut in the corner of the bag, for larger chocolate lines, make a larger cut. I usually make designs on the cookies with the chocolate. Simple criss cross lines look elegant and sophisticated.
• These cookies are one of my favorites, and I often bring them to parties or special occasions because of their beautiful appearance and interesting flavor.
• **To Toast Nuts**.
• Set oven to 350°F.
• Place nuts on baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake for approximately 5-8 minutes checking frequently, and stirring them about on the sheet. They should become a golden bronze color, depending on the nut. The toasting of nuts will allow for a richer flavor usually.

PRALINE BASKETS WITH FROZEN ALMOND ZABAGLIONE

Steps:

• Prepare the praline baskets and set aside.
• Use a heavy, deep, preferably round-bottom mixing bowl to prepare this dessert.
• Put the yolks in the bowl and add the sugar and water. Set the bowl in a basin of simmering water or over a very low flame and beat as vigorously as possible with a wire whisk. Beat until the mixture is quite foamy and thickened. Immediately beat in the almond- or hazelnut-flavored liqueur.
• Place the bowl in a basin of cold water containing ice and continue beating until cool.
• Whip the cream until stiff. Add one-third of the whipped cream to the sauce and beat it in. Fold in the remaining cream. Spoon the mixture into a metal or glass dish and place in the freezer. Let stand until frozen. Scoop equal portions of the zabaglione into the praline baskets and serve.

PRALINE BASKETS WITH PUMPKIN PUREE

Steps:

• Prepare the praline baskets and set aside.
• Soften the gelatin in the lemon juice and set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar until the mixture is light and lemon-colored. Add the pumpkin puree, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and orange juice. Blend well. Place the mixture over simmering water and cook, stirring, until it is thickened.
• Scrape the gelatin into the hot mixture and stir to blend. Let stand until cool but not stiff. Fold in the remaining sugar.
• Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and fold them in. Whip the cream until stiff and fold it in. Chill until set. Serve in the praline baskets.