PRAline or Pralin

European Praline – Europe is where praline was born. Here the caramel coated nuts are crushed to a get a powder which is called pralin. Pralin, in Europe, is added to cakes, ice creams, chocolates, desserts etc. The French mix praline with chocolate and call it praline. In UK, praline is not powder and eaten whole as a slab.
American Praline – The American Praline recipe is influenced by the European praline but has some local touch to it. Praline was first prepared in Louisiana and later modified to suit the local palate. American Praline is a confection made by boiling all the ingredients i.e. sugar, nuts, butter and cream to sticky fudge like consistency which is then poured on waxed sheets and sold as confections.
Belgian Praline – Belgian Praline is not a praline at all. It is in fact name given to chocolates with filled centers, which are created in various shapes and usually gift wrapped. The centers consist of nuts, liquor, butter and marzipan. Belgian Praline was a creation of Jean Neuhaus, a candy maker for pharmaceutical companies. Belgian Praline is also often referred to as Belgian Chocolate and Chocolate Bonbons. (courtesy: www.ifood.tv)
Indian Praline – Indian praline is famously known as Chikki. Lots of peanuts, rose petals etc are added into the caramalised sugar or jaggery syrup, spread on grease proof trays , cut into pieces and served.

Ingredients
100gms – Sugar
100gms – Nuts ( almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts. Any nut of your choice)

Method
Take sugar in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Scatter the nuts on top of the sugar.

Leave it on medium flame. Do not stir. The sugar will start melting and turning gold at the edge of the pan.

At this point just rotate the pan a little. Twirl it and leave it on the flame again untouched. Do not stir. When 1/4 of the sugar melts and the sugar in the edge gets more darker, stir it with a wooden spoon. Keep gently stirring till all the liquid melts and liquifiies.

Let it simmer on low flame till the sugar syrup turns gold and then further turns dark golden whiskey brown.

At this point spread the caramalised sugar nut syrup on a baking paper. If you are intending to use whole nuts then seperate the nuts when its still hot.

Once cooled it will harden and will easily peel off from the baking sheet. Will look like a glass embedded with nuts.

Use the nuts as a whole or powder as per your requirement.