Katy Sweet • LaGrange, TX
On The Crush List because…
“Pralines are not difficult to make, just tricky.”
If you’re game to get out the candy thermometer and tackle the ‘tricky’ confectionery challenge known as the pecan praline, please have at it. I hope for your sake that you’ll be using an old family recipe, because it could take at least an hour just to decide which recipe to choose; evap or butter milk, baking soda or no, microwave or stove or no bake at all. And here’s a little heads up. Some recipes suggest a “second pair of hands” for the spooning out part, so know that you’ll need to enlist a praline plopping partner.
I, on the other (lazier) hand, will be enjoying my perfect pralines the old fashioned way, by making my way to the Katy Sweet Candy Factory in LaGrange. The shoppe is right in the front part of their factory/office building, so as you wander about trying to decide among chewy, creamy, peanut patty (or all three), you also have the Charlie Buckety fun of peeking through big windows into the production area.
There are few well-known poems or quotes to be found about the praline. Well, there’s one classic from Wayne’s World the movie, but this is a family website so I’m not going to give you an easy link; you’ll have to Google it on your own. Instead I’ll leave you with an encouraging paragraph from Southern Living Magazine that was written about pralines but I like to think really applies to everything in life.
“If your pralines don’t turn out right the first time,
Don’t despair.
Simply create a new dessert.
Crumble and fold them into softened vanilla ice cream.
Or, if they’re too soft,
scrap up the mixture, chill it, and roll it into 1-inch balls.
Then dip the balls into melted chocolate
to make truffles.
If the candy mixture hardens in the pot,
break it into pieces and sprinkle it
over hot apple pie, cheesecake, or ice cream.
Practice helps.”
