Nut Praline is a patisserie basic that is used to provide crunch and flavour to chocolates and cakes.  It was, as with so many other things in the world of patisserie, invented in France by a french chef called Clement Lassagne.

It is made by coating roasted nuts in caramel, which is then broken up into pieces or ground down into a powder.  It can be stored for 6-12 months.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 200g nuts (usually almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts or pralines)
• 200g caster sugar

The Method

• heat the oven to 180C / 160C fan
• have a sheet of silicone matting or baking parchment laid out on a baking tray
• spread your nuts on a baking tray
• bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown
• put your sugar in the pan
• melt the sugar on a low heat until caramelised to dark amber
  • never stir the sugar as it will crystallise –  instead roll the caramel around the pan to get the sugar melted
• once melted, take off the heat and throw in the nuts and stir quickly until the nuts are fully coated
• quickly pour out on your silicone mat and spread into a thin layer
• allow to fully cool
• break up into small pieces using a rolling pin
• if you want powder, put the pieces in a food processor and process until a fine powder
• store in a sealed container