Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (79 page)

Serving Suggestions:

Pralines are perfect hors d’oeuvres or after-dinner sweets. Crushed pralines can top ice cream, cakes, and cupcakes.

Candy-Making Notes:

Watch the cooking sugar to prevent scorching. Since it is not mixed with water, it will cook quickly.

Recipe:

1.
Line several baking sheets with foil or silicone baking mats.

2.
Place sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it melts and starts turning golden.

3.
Add almonds, stirring to coat.

4.
Turn out almonds onto baking sheets. Use a spatula to spread the nuts, separating them from each other. Let cool.

Yield:

About 3 cups of pralines

Storage:

Store in an airtight container in dry, cool place for up to 3 weeks.

General Description:

Halva
is the general term for a very wide range of sweets consumed across the Balkans, Middle East, central Asia,
and India
. It is also a popular Jewish treat, often spelled
halvah
or
chalvah
. The two most common forms of halva are a thick pudding-like dessert made with ground semolina, honey, butter, and dried fruit, most popular in Greece and India, and a chewier, fudgelike confection made from sesame seeds, honey, and tahini, most common in the Balkans and Middle East. Flavorings and other ingredients are added depending on the region, making halva a truly international candy.

History:

Halva
comes from the Arabic word
halwa
, meaning “sweet.” The earliest forms of halva were made in Turkey of ground semolina flour cooked with honey or sugar. The candy was eagerly adopted by India as well as by Jewish populations in the Balkans. As it travelled from region to region, halva was adapted to local tastes, ingredients, and cooking techniques.

Serving Suggestions:

Halva is served at numerous special occasions and festivals around the world, from Jewish Purim to Hindu Diwali. It can be enjoyed year-round as a simple, healthy snack.

Candy-Making Notes:

This recipe is for a sesame halva, the type made in Israel. Jewish immigrants brought it to America.

Recipe:

1.
Coat a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.
Combine sesame oil and flour in a skillet and cook over low heat until the mixture turns light brown.

3.
Add the tahini paste and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.