Bourbon Pralines Recipes

Steps:

• Grease 2 baking sheets; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugars, then the cream; cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 236° (soft-ball stage), about 20 minutes. , Remove from the heat; stir in the pecan halves, chopped pecans and bourbon. Immediately drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Let stand until pralines are set and no longer glossy. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper and butter the paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil.
• Make the praline layer: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, kosher salt and vanilla. Spread in the prepared pan and scatter the pecans on top; set aside.
• Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and fine salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and bourbon in another bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 10 minutes. With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with flour. Fold in the pecans.
• Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack, 30 minutes. Remove the springform ring, invert the cake onto a plate and remove the paper. Serve with ice cream.

Steps:

• Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper; set aside. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine buttermilk, baking soda, and sugar. Over medium-high heat, bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. To prevent crystals from forming, brush sides of pan with cold water.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees (soft-ball stage), about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and bourbon; stir with a wooden spoon until butter has melted. Stir in pecans; beat with wooden spoon for 30 seconds. Immediately spoon 1 tablespoon of pecan mixture onto prepared baking pan, forming a 2-inch patty. Repeat with remaining mixture. If mixture begins to harden, return to heat for 1 minute, scraping down sides and stirring. Let patties stand until set, about 1 hour. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring gently until sugar dissolves. Add pecans; cover and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes to wash down sugar crystals down from side of the pan.
• Uncover and cook without stirring to soft ball stage or until candy thermometer reads 235°F.
• Remove from heat and stir in baking soda; beat with a wooden spoon just until the mixture starts to thicken (5 to 8 minutes).
• Working rapidly, drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased wax paper; let stand until firm.

Steps:

• Place 2 cups of the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until combined, then add the shortening and mix until worked in. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg and yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl and then add to the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Beat in remaining 1 cup flour until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Using a 1-inch cookie cutter, cut hole from center of each round. Gather scraps and re-roll dough, cutting additional doughnuts until dough is used up.
• Heat 5 inches of oil in a large pot to 350 degrees F. Add doughnuts, 3 at a time, and fry until golden on both sides, turning once, about 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• When doughnuts have cooled, dip tops of doughnuts in the mixture and place on baking racks until the praline sets up slightly. Sprinkle nuts on top.
• Combine sugar, water, vanilla bean and seeds in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook until dark amber color. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream, butter and salt. Return to the heat and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the bourbon. Strain. Let cool until slightly thickened.

Steps:

• In a 13 X 9 pan, mix the bourbon, vanilla and 1 T brown sugar. Add bacon slices, coating them in the liquid. Let them soak for 15 minutes (or up to 1 hour).
• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees place an oven rack in the middle. Lightly grease a baking rack and place it on a foil-covered baking sheet.
• Grind the pecans in a food processor or spice grinder. On a large plate or baking sheet, thoroughly mix the ground pecans with the cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and the remaining 1/4 C brown sugar (fingers work best).
• One at a time, shake the excess liquid off the bacon slices, and lay them in the pecan mixture, pressing lightly with your fingertips to make the topping adhere. Flip the bacon and repeat on the other side. (In the middle of this process the topping may begin to cake up. Re-mix it with a fork if necessary). Lay each slice on the rack.
• Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from the rack. Serve warm or cooled -- and enjoy.

Steps:

• place pecans and butter in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat 4 minutes or until nuts are toasted, stirring frequently.
• Add 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup cream; stir until smooth. In small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons milk and cornstarch. Stir cornstarch mixture into sauce.
• Increase heat to medium-high; cook until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon bourbon, 1 teaspoon vanilla and dash salt. Serve warm. (Store sauce, covered, in refrigerator. If too thick after reheating, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.).

Steps:

• Melt butter over low heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Stir in the sugars, pinch of salt, and cream.
• Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Remove the lid and boil rapidly until temperature reaches 242 degrees on thermometer.
• (this is the upper limit of the soft ball stage in cooking sugar; a drop of syrup in chilled water will hold its shape well.) At this point, add the toasted pecans and stir well.
• Remove from heat and beat in flavorings.
• Continue beating until the candy loses its glossiness, becomes creamy in appearance, and starts to thicken.
• Quickly drop the mixture by tablespoons onto wax paper.

Steps:

• To make the praline, line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
• Combine the water and the sugar in a saucepan over high heat. Gently swirl the pan around to melt the sugar evenly. Using a candy thermometer, cook the sugar until it reaches 370°F. Add the pecan halves to the caramel and quickly stir the nuts to coat them thoroughly with the caramel. Spoon the praline onto the waxed paper in an even layer to cool. Once the praline has cooled, chop it finely with a knife and reserve.
• To make the parfait, line a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, letting enough excess wrap hang over the sides to cover the top.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed until it reaches stiff peaks. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, with a rubber spatula, fold the sour cream into the whipped cream. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and refrigerate until needed.
• Have the egg yolks and egg whites in separate bowls. Put the egg yolks in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and add 1/4 cup of the sugar. Whisk the mixture on high speed until you achieve a thick, pale yellow consistency. Transfer the mixture to another bowl and reserve.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Decrease the speed to low and slowly sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar into the whites. Once the sugar is added, increase the speed to high and whisk until medium peaks form.
• Fold the cream mixture into the yolks, then fold in the egg whites in three additions. Fold in the chopped pecan praline.
• Fill your prepared loaf pan with the semifreddo mixture and smooth out the top. Pull the plastic wrap over the top and freeze for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
• To make the caramel, using a candy thermometer, cook the water and the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches 380°F. Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully add the heavy cream. Return it to the stove over low heat. Once the cream dissolves into the caramel, you need to swirl the pan periodically but try not to stir it, remove it from the heat and add the bourbon. Hold the caramel at room temperature until you are ready to serve it.
• To serve the semifreddo, pull the plastic wrap away from the top. Invert the loaf pan onto a platter. Wrap a hot, wet kitchen towel over the loaf pan and gently rub the sides to release the semifreddo. Once the semifreddo is released onto the platter, peel off the plastic wrap.
• Slice the semifreddo into ten equal slices with a sharp knife. Serve each with a drizzle of bourbon caramel.