There’s nothing better
PUH - Khan, PEE - can, puh - CAN, Pralines?
Y’all know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t, well you’re about to learn about the south’s worst kept secret. It’s PECAN CANDY, sha! First and foremost, it is pronounced PUH - KHAN, I don’t care what mee maw says (love you mee maw!). But yes, the proper pronunciation is PUH - KHAN, anyone that say’s different is just DIFFERENT! Happy Sunday, Suge! I’m so glad you’ve joined me today! I had an entirely different topic I was going to chat about, but I kept thinking about Pecan Candy. A sweet southern candy made with pecans, sugar, butter, and some other delicious ingredients. The well beloved treat was brought over from France to Louisiana by settlers in the 19th century. It is one of the few things we can thank the French for if you ask me.
Harvesting season for pecans is between October to December, but they can be picked up at any local grocery store at anytime. When it comes to pecans and pecan candy, my family is definitely the go to. Our family house, where my great grandmother resided, and where I make sure to visit when I’m home, has a massive pecan tree planted in the back yard. I suspect my great great grandfather was the one to plant it as he was the one to build the house. Regardless of how it got there, we still have a fruitful blooming tree that is cherished all these years later!
When I was a child every year around the fall season, myself along with other family members, would go into the back yard armed with plastic grocery bags, sacks, nut gatherers, anything we could use to pick them up from the ground and collect them. Plucking and rolling the little gems from the ground and filling our containers. After filling all the bags, and sacks, some pockets; the collection would then be dispersed to whomever wanted some. Ready to be cleaned, eaten, or stored away for another day.
I have vivid memories of my grandma, pulling up a stool from our breakfast bar and sitting it right in front the stove. She’d get out a big ole pot that she brought SPECIFICALLY for making candy, and sit it on a waiting burner. Dig out her favorite long metal spoon (mais this sucker was long yea!). Put down a dish towel on the stove top to lean onto, and get to work; stirring like it was a sport and she was the number one athlete. Once she was finished making a batch of candy, she’d package it up for friends, family, or plate it and put it on the dining room table, to hang around the house for everyone to snack on.
Now a lot of folks get confused when I say “pecan candy” and think “pecan and pralines” and unless you’re from where I’m from, or from around that way, I suppose you wouldn’t know the difference. Pecan candy, the kind my grandmother would make, was fudgey. Pecan Pralines is candied pecans with more crunch than fudge. You didn’t ask, but here’s my advice sha, try both and let me know what you think!
Below, you’ll find a recipe similar to what my grandma would make. Her recipe is a secret, so I don’t know what to tell you if you wanted to try. But this recipe is close to it! Before I let you go suge, I’ll leave you with this, I love you, have a great Sunday and even better week. See you next time!
Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups pecan halves
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Generously grease a large slab or baking sheet, In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, white sugar and milk. Bring to a boil. Stir in butter, pecans and vanilla. Heat, without stirring, 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. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.Beat until thickened, then pour immediately onto prepared surface and let rest until firm and completely cool before cutting.