Pralines Amaretto Recipes

AMARETTO

Steps:

• Combine water and sugars in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the mixture is boiling, and all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
• Stir vodka, almond extract and vanilla extract into the mixture. Store in a sealed bottle.

AMARETTO PUMPKIN PIE WITH ALMOND PRALINE

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour, cookies and salt in a food processor until the cookies are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 1/4 cup ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Turn out into a 9-inch glass pie plate (not deep dish) and press into the bottom and up the sides about 1/4 inch above the rim. Pierce all over with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
• Make the filling: Whisk the pumpkin, cream, sugar, eggs, liqueur, nutmeg, vanilla and salt in a bowl. Pour into the crust and bake until the edges are set but the center still quivers, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
• Meanwhile, make the praline: Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and brush with vegetable oil. Stir the sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, swirling the pan but not stirring, until amber, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the almonds and salt. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it as thinly as possible with a rubber spatula. Cool completely.
• Coarsely chop or break the praline and sprinkle over the pie right before serving.

DRUNKEN PECANS

Steps:

• 1. Whisk together maple or Karo syrup and 1 cup of your brown sugar and cinnamon in a large sauce pan. Add the bourbon or Amaretto and the vanilla or almond extract. The alcohol will cook out and just leave the flavor.
• 2. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Add the pecans or whatever kind of nuts you prefer.
• 3. Keep stirring over med heat until the pecans are coated in the sugar mixture.
• 4. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the liquid becomes thick and starts to solidify on your spoon. It needs to reach a high enough temperature for the sugar mixture to harden when cooled. (at least 240 degrees on candy thermometer)
• 5. Remove from heat and add the remaining cup of brown sugar to the pan, quickly toss until all the nuts are coated with the sugar. Pour out on a sprayed, foil lined cookie sheet to cool and break apart any big pieces that are clumped together.
• 6. Once they are cool they will be hard and crunchy. Technically they will keep for a few weeks in a sealed container, but they're usually gone in a few hours.

PRALINES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• In large saucepan over medium heat, combine pecans, sugar, butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Let cool completely.

PRALINES AND CREAM COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Add all ingredients expect the pecans into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour into a snifter and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and pecan pieces.
• Serve with a straw and a spoon. They're quite thick.

PEACH PRALINE SEMIFREDDO WITH AMARETTI

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide semifreddo off bottom), then lock on side and oil pan.
• Stir together ground amaretti and melted butter in a bowl until combined well, then press evenly over bottom and up side of springform pan. Bake until crust is firm and a shade darker, about 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, 20 to 30 minutes. Leave oven on.
• Make praline:
• Spread nuts in a shallow baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once or twice, until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer nuts to a bowl. Lightly oil same baking pan.
• Cook sugar in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is a dark amber.
• Immediately stir in nuts, then pour mixture into oiled baking pan and let stand to harden and cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Break praline into pieces, then pulse in cleaned food processor until finely chopped.
• Make semifreddo:
• Pit and coarsely chop peaches, with skins if desired, then purée in cleaned food processor with crushed vitaminutes C, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Force thourough a medium-mesh sieve set over a large metal bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.
• Stir in egg yolks, then place bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and beat with mixer until mixture is thick and pale and registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, then beat 3 minutes more (do not let boil).
• Remove bowl from saucepan and set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Add almond extract and beat until cold, about 6 minutes.
• Beat cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in another bowl using cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks.
• Fold one third of cream into peach mixture, then fold in praline and remaining cream gently but thoroughly. Pour mixture into cooled crust and freeze, covered with plastic wrap, until firm, at least 3 hours. Let stand in refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
• Make peach topping while semifreddo stands in refrigerator:
• Cut an X in bottom of each peach, then blanch in a medium saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Peel peaches and cut into 1/2-inch wedges.
• Toss peaches with crushed vitaminutes C and sugar and let stand, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes.
• Spoon peaches over semifreddo with a slotted spoon just before serving.