Praline paste
Confection
Top 10 pairings
Praline paste (French pralin or praliné) is the smooth, oily paste made by grinding caramelised nuts — classically almonds, hazelnuts, or a blend of the two — with their set caramel until the whole mass turns to a fluid, deeply nutty, butterscotch-scented cream. It is not a sweet to be eaten by the piece but a building block of the pastry kitchen: the base flavour folded into buttercreams, mousses, ganaches, ice creams and chocolate fillings, and a distinct ingredient from the praline confection it is made from.
Picking a good onedrag
Flowing, glossy, toasted-nut caramelDull, dried out, crayon-rancid
Open and in regular useEveryday bestThe all-rounder: a spoonful stirred into pastry cream, mousse, ganache or a bonbon filling carries nut and caramel in one step.
Smell into the tinStill plainly caramel and nut, but quieter - the buttery, vanilla top note has dropped away
Look at the surfaceA clear layer of nut oil standing on top, the paste beneath it darker and much denser
Work a spoon through itStiff and claggy out of a cold room, loosening again as it comes up to kitchen warmth
The tin and its labelAround half nuts to half sugar, the classic ratio, with at most a little salt or vanilla