This is my Americanization of the Tarte aux Pralines I had in Lyon. I believe the flavour is fairly authentic but the method is different due to ingredient availability.
Ingredients
- 1 Sugar Crust
- 66 g almonds
- 133 g sugar
- 45 g (3 tbs) water
- 300 g 35% cream
- 50 g (3 tbs) butter
- 10 drops (approximately) red food color
- 1/8 tsp salt
Steps
- Set oven to 350 °F. Toast almonds in a flat pan 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add sugar and water to a heavy pot with high sides. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow to boil about a minute with cover still on, until sugar is fully dissolved.
- Remove cover and continue to cook over high heat until sugar turns golden amber.
- Reduce heat to medium. Slowly pour in the cream, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar in the cream.
- Add the butter and food coloring, adjusting to achieve a pink / red color. Cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches a temperature of 230 °F (thread stage) of sugar cooking.
- Remove from heat, stir in almonds and salt, and pour into the tart shell. Allow to set at room temperature.
Variation: Using pink pralines
Pink pralines are a candied almond with a bumpy surface texture made in France. This recipe works around their relative unavailability in North America, but the recipe is simpler if they are available.
Steps
- Substitute 200 g pralines roses (pink pralines) for the almonds, sugar, water, and food colour, and continue with thre recipe at the point of adding the cream to the almonds.