Pralines with Pine Nuts and with Almonds and Orange Peel

Italian praline—croccante—is darker than other pralines; it needs that firm thrust of bitterness to break through the otherwise sticky, compact sweetness of the sugar. One can go too far, of course—I am not talking about black, unpalatably bitter caramel. A dark, warm, distinctly brown color is what one should aim for. It is all a matter of timing, of judging when in another second or two the color will irretrievably cross the threshold from brown to black; before that happens, add the nuts.

Two recipes are given here, one with pine nuts, the other with almonds and orange peel. You can develop your own combinations of nuts and flavorings. Hazelnuts too make a good croccante. There is no finer homemade candy than a nice dark piece of croccante. When ground up, it is a happy addition to ice cream, custard, and other soft desserts.