Southern Creamy Pralines

This is a very old family recipe that we have been using since my great great grandmother. It was originally made in a cast iron dutch pot. We love it and there is no other recipe as rich as this one. Pralines are a big part of our Cajun family and we make them all the time. I know you will enjoy this as much as we do.

3 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 quart pecans

Combine sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup and salt in a very large pan (it will foam considerably when soda is added) and bring to a nice rolling boil. Add soda, stir and cook until soft ball is formed when dropped in cold water.Then remove from heat and add vanilla. Beat until color changes and candy thickens. Stir in pecans. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet. (DO IT FAST before the candy hardens)

Cream Cheese-Bacon Crescents

This recipe is a must have in my house hold...These are rich and tasty. One or two go a long way to accompany a salad or other light meal. They freeze well, too.

what you need

1

tub  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread

3

slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled

2

cans  (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

make it

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

MIX cream cheese spread and bacon until well blended.

SEPARATE each can of dough into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise in half. Spread each dough triangle with 1 generous tsp. cream cheese mixture. Roll up, starting at shortest side of triangle; place, point-sides down, on baking sheet.

BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.

kraft kitchens tips

HEALTHY LIVING

For a reduced-fat version, try our Healthy Living version of Cream Cheese-Bacon Crescentswhich uses PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese and reduced-fat refrigerated crescent dinner rolls. These changes will save 30 calories and 4g of fat per serving.

VARIATION

For a sweet version, prepare using PHILADELPHIA Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread and substituting 3 Tbsp. chopped PLANTERS Walnuts for the bacon.

~~EASY ECLAIRS~~

PASTRY:
½ cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs

CUSTARD FILLING:
1 (4 serving size) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups milk (or as called for on pudding package)
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

CHOCOLATE ICING:
⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdred or confection 
sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons hot water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. LIghtly grease a large cookie sheet and set aside.

In medium saucepan, combine ½ cup butter and water. Bring to a boil, stirring to melt butter. Reduce heat to low and stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to form a stiff ball of dough. 

Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition to ensure they are incorporated. Work quickly, especially with the first one, to prevent it from cooking into scrambled eggs on the bottom of your warm pan. With a spoon or pastry bag fitted with a large tip, spread/pipe the thick dough onto prepared cookie sheet into 10 strips approximately 1½ x 4″ each.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 and bake another 20 minutes, until puffed and golden and hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. When removed from oven, IMMEDIATELY pierce the ends almost through to the other side to let steam escape and prevent any sogginess in the middle. This hole is also where you will be piping your filling into. Let cool completely before filling and icing (this will only take about half an hour).

For CUSTARD FILLING: combine pudding and milk in a bowl and mix according to package directions. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in ¼ cup icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and ¼ tsp salt. Fold whipped cream into pudding.

Scoop mixture into pastry bag fitted with a smallish tip (I enlarged my steam holes a bit to make my tip fit, so do whatever works) and pipe mixture into centers of eclairs until full. This is a bit of a messy business, but worth it for ease of eating and pretty appearance. You could certainly also just slice the eclairs in half horizontally, fill the bottoms with cream, and replace the tops. Either way, you will probably have some custard leftover.

For ICING: Melt the chocolate and 2 Tbsp butter over low heat in a saucepan (or in the microwave, stirring after 30 seconds and giving additional 10 second increments as needed until fully melted). Stir in 1 cup confectioners sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir in hot water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until icing is smooth and reaches desired consistency. Drizzle, pipe or spread over filled eclairs. Store in the fridge.