Hazelnut Praline Paste

[sherribabee]

Has anybody made this? I've been asked lately to make Gateau Marjolaine (YUM!) by some of my coworkers and have a feeling I'll be asked to make more down the road.

I've found that praline paste is horribly expensive to purchase and, since it's essential to this cake, I wonder if there is a way to make it myself. I've never tried putting nuts into a food processor and don't know if it's possible to get a smooth, creamy result. Also, I don't know what kind of sugar to use with it (It's about 50% toasted hazelnuts and 50% sugar, right?) -- confectioner's sugar?

I'd appreciate any help you guys could offer.

[francois]

I would be tempted to try it using hazelnut butter (just make sure it is not salted). It is widely available, specially in health food shops and ccontains nothing but hazelnuts. It is much smoother than what can be acheived in a food processor

[rickster]

Once I saw Jacques Torres do a hazelnut butter on his Dessert Circus show by whizzing hazelnuts in a food processor. I tried it and couldn't get close. I just got wet ground nuts. I think success probably depends on getting very fresh nuts with a high oil content, which might be tricky at normal retail outlets like Trader Joes.

I'd try the store bought butter idea, or just buy the paste.

[nightscotsman]

I've made praline paste at home and we make huge vats of it at work to flavor many items. It is very easy to do in a food processor, though the finished product will be a little on the grainy side and you will never get the completely smooth texture of commercial brands (they use special equipment).

I don't have a recipe at hand at the moment, but the basic process is to toast the hazelnuts and rub to remove the skins. Spread the nuts out on a foil lined sheet pan, then make a caramel and pour it over the nuts. When the whole thing is cool, break up the caramel and grind it in the food processor (you may need to do this in batches) until you get a smooth (or as smooth as possible) paste like a nut butter.

[Trishiad]

Don't know if what's used in cakes is the same as candy but here's what i do for candy: a ratio of 1 part sugar to 1 part whole nuts (increase the sugar if the nuts are chopped) . You may add a drop or two of corn syrup if you like for sugar stabilization. Melt the sugar over medium high heat and add the nuts. Off the heat stir until it looks like a white gritty mess. Return to the heat and stir until shiny and golden. Spread it on a silpat until dry. Put it into your food processor until it's creamy. It will never be as creamy as commercial product because they use huge rolling mechanisms.

[sherribabee]

Thanks guys! I'm going to try my hand at making my own. The jar I have at home lists "hazelnuts 50%, sugar 50%" on the ingredients label. I use it to flavor buttercream, which goes into a very "texture-rich" cake, so I don't think a little lumpiness will really even be noticeable.

I can buy hazelnuts much, much cheaper than I can buy praline paste. I haven't seen hazelnut butter in the markets I frequent most, but then again, I haven't really been looking for it. If that's reasonabley priced, then I may just buy that and add sugar and keep it on hand.

I'll go experiment and report back.

P.S. I made the marjolaine last night and made sure to have some extra dacquiose and praline buttercream leftover -- sandwich cookies for me!

[chiantiglace]

The way Neil said is proper, but I must say I make my own praline pastes(hazelnut, pecan and macadamia) weekly and I found the easiest way to pour the nuts redhot from the oven being toasted into a just finished caramel and toss with a wooden spoon until coated evenly then spread out onto a foil or silicon lined sheet pan.

This way the product doesn't cool as fast and you don't get undesired string by overworking the sugar.

Also when doing thins I usually have more nuts than sugar, like 60- 40 and when processing it is necessary to have simple syrup at hand and gradually add in to the paste as it processing (at a trickle rate) to gain a a smoother product. But you only need a little.

For a supreme smooth finish you can heat the paste up so it's nice and soft and press it through a seive to get any undesired chunks that you may have missed.

[gap]

Hi,

I started buying my chocolate for the Christmas "production" this weekend. I was also able to find some Hazelnut Praline Paste (Sevarome Ref: PFS.SK001.3048) - imported from France. It is a 1kg tin and ingredients are 50% roasted hazelnuts and 50% sugar - so far so good. I haven't been able to purchase praline paste before so brought it home and noticed a couple of warnings back in the apartment:

- Professional use only. Do not sale (sic) to the final consumer.

- Dosage g/kg = 120

I am not a professional chocolatier so I wanted to know why there were warnings and dosage levels. Praline paste seemed like a good thing to put on pancakes (as well as my planned chocolate applications) . . . but maybe not?!?!

Also, does the dosage mean a maximum of 120g of praline paste to 1kg of chocolate? What can happen if the limit is exceeded?

Thanks in advance for any help

[Patrick S]

Hi,

I started buying my chocolate for the Christmas "production" this weekend. I was also able to find some Hazelnut Praline Paste (Sevarome Ref: PFS.SK001.3048) - imported from France. It is a 1kg tin and ingredients are 50% roasted hazelnuts and 50% sugar - so far so good. I haven't been able to purchase praline paste before so brought it home and noticed a couple of warnings back in the apartment:

- Professional use only. Do not sale (sic) to the final consumer.

- Dosage g/kg = 120

I am not a professional chocolatier so I wanted to know why there were warnings and dosage levels. Praline paste seemed like a good thing to put on pancakes (as well as my planned chocolate applications) . . . but maybe not?!?!

Also, does the dosage mean a maximum of 120g of praline paste to 1kg of chocolate? What can happen if the limit is exceeded?

Thanks in advance for any help

←

I dont know how things are in France, but in the US food items have to be sold with certain labelling information. So, for instance, if you buy a large box of cupcakes or something, each one individual package will contain a disclaimer saying something like

"not labelled for individual sale."

Perhaps the warning on your jar of praline is the same thing. I doubt it has anything to do with the toxicological properties of praline paste.

Maybe the dosage refers to a recommended concentration for the product in a recipe -- in other words, add the praline to the rest of the ingredients at a ratio of 12/100.

[gap]

Thanks Patrick

[Chocolot]

I finally found a good solution to thick, separated praline paste. Have you ever opened the tub only to find oil on the top and thick solid goodness on the bottom? I have and couldn't find a good way to get them mixed back together. Tried food processor, mixer, and elbow grease. Today, I am proud to announce the new and improved praline mixer:-)

It may look like a typical paint stirrer, but it is in fact a praline stirrer.

You start out slow and remember to keep the mixer on the bottom, and never in the air.

It was not running in this photo.

No paste wasted. I usually end up with some on the bottom that just refuses to come out.

After getting it all nice and smooth, I scoop into deli containers in the amounts I usually use at one time and freeze. This keeps it fresher and it doesn't settle.

One of the real benefits is that when you are finished, there is a beater to lick:-)

I picked it up at Lowe's for about $4.

[HungryC]

I think I'd opt for the heavy-duty stainless steel version (about $25) of the paint mixer attachment.....dunno if the plastic version is food safe.

[Chocolot]

Good point! I sanitized it, but SS would be better.

[DianaM]

I finally found a good solution to thick, separated praline paste. Have you ever opened the tub only to find oil on the top and thick solid goodness on the bottom? I have and couldn't find a good way to get them mixed back together. Tried food processor, mixer, and elbow grease. Today, I am proud to announce the new and improved praline mixer:-)

No paste wasted. I usually end up with some on the bottom that just refuses to come out.

After getting it all nice and smooth, I scoop into deli containers in the amounts I usually use at one time and freeze. This keeps it fresher and it doesn't settle.

What a cool idea! And freezing in containers is so convenient. How long does the paste keep, when frozen?

[Chocolot]

I have kept it for up to 9 months without a problem. Might last even longer. Thaws rather quickly.

[Kerry Beal]

My hazelnut paste and praline paste will be delivered tomorrow morning. I'm hoping it's nice and homogenous so I can just portion it out without having to hit Home Depot!

[pastrygirl]

I can't wait to see what kind of response I get when I go in asking for a praline stirrer They never seem to know where the chocolate scrapers and entremet molds are either...

[jrshaul]

I've seen some neat helical screw-stirrers for mixing ceramic glazes. I'm pretty sure they're stainless; given what goes in some of those glazes, anything else would probably dissolve.

[lebowits]

Excellent!

[Jim D.]

In making one of Andrew Shotts's recipes for chocolates, I made hazelnut praline paste. It turned out well, but did have some bits of hazelnuts and solid praline (caramelized sugar) in it. For another recipe I decided to get the "real thing," since I read that it is impossible to make completely smooth praline paste with home equipment. So I purchased some from one of the most-recommended online sites. It has substantial bits of nuts and sugar in it, so I may as well have made my own, since I would be assured of the freshness of the hazelnuts. I looked again at the site, and yes, it does say there are nut pieces in it, so it's my fault. Is there a paste that is truly smooth? Any suggestions would be welcome. The nut bits don't matter so much in the recipe I am currently making, but sometimes one wants a completely smooth paste.

[Chocolot]

Noel makes a totally smooth one as does Cocoa Barry.

[choux]

You can get a pretty smooth paste from your food processor, you have to let it run for a long time though, ~10 minutes. Really. It will start to liquefy and thats when it starts to get a lot smoother.

[DianaM]

I second Ruth's recommendation for Cacao Barry. Smooth as silk.

When I bought it, I had to stir it up all the way to the bottom of the pail, to divide it up in 1kg tubs for storage. After fully mixing it up, I did not find any gritty bits, either of sugar or nuts.

[Jim D.]

Thanks for those suggestions. When I made the Shotts praline the first time, I didn't let the processor run long enough. The result was good (fantastic over vanilla ice cream), but a little crunchy for a filling. The second time I let the machine run (and run some more), and it was a much better product.

I made the Greweling hazelnut honey filling today with the paste I bought. The nut bits weren't too big to pass through the pastry bag, but almost. I'm guessing the paste was thinner than what Greweling had in mind since the ganache didn't firm up entirely (I'm still waiting on it). I was surprised that the paste was still liquid in the refrigerator since the Shotts homemade paste got quite thick when chilled. Which brings up a complaint about chocolate recipes: It would be nice to have guidelines in addition to basic directions. You know, the way Julia Child tells you exactly what the consistency of a cheese souffle is supposed to be and exactly how to tell when it's done. Today's recipe could have said helpfully: The praline paste should have a solid consistency; if it is too liquid, use less of it (or add more chocolate).

[pastrygirl]

You can get a pretty smooth paste from your food processor, you have to let it run for a long time though, ~10 minutes. Really. It will start to liquefy and thats when it starts to get a lot smoother.

..and then strain it through a fine mesh chinoise, and you really can't get much smoother.