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Hazelnut Praline Powder

Source of Recipe


From "Fancy Pantry" by Helen Witty



List of Ingredients



• 1 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned *
  
• ¾ cup sugar
  
• 3 Tbsp light corn syrup
  
• 3 Tbsp water
  
• ¼ tsp salt (optional)
  






Instructions



1. Butter a cookie sheet lightly. Spread the toasted nuts on it and place them in a 250° oven to warm through. Leave them for 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. Turn off the oven, open the door, and leave the pan in it.
   
   
2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a small heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat; after boiling starts, wipe down with a wet pastry brush any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Boil the syrup until it begins to turn a light caramel color; it will register between 320° and 340° F on a candy-jelly thermometer. Remove from heat and quickly add the salt, if using, and the warmed nuts. Stir the mixture quickly, as it tends to harden up fast. Then pour it onto the buttered cookie sheet that held the nuts; spread it out with a wooden spoon or spatula.
   
   
3. Cool the brittle completely, then break it into small pieces. Working in batches, grind it to a fairly fine powder in a food processor or blender. Store the praline powder in an airtight container. It will keep several months at room temperature, or at least 2 years in the freezer.
   
   Yield: about 2 cups
   
   






Final Comments


* To toast and skin hazelnuts:
Spread them on a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet and bake in a 350° oven for 7 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice during the process. Be careful not to let them become more than slightly gold inside (break a sample to check). Remove the nuts from the oven and let cool at room temperature. To remove the papery skin, tumble them out onto a towel, cover with another towel, and rub back and forth until the skins shed away from the nuts.