Nancy’s Kitchen

My Grandmother Scott worked in a Mexican Mission in Dallas, and her Mexican interpreter and co-teacher was Mrs. Zapata.  I met her or her children once. These are Mrs. Zapata’s wonderful pralines with my mom’s comments. Mother liked to make these at Christmas time. Maybe I’ll try to make them this year. I have a candy thermometer now. BE SURE TO READ the recipe all the way through before beginning.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups evaporated milk
5 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 stick butter or margerine
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix (except for the vanilla) and start cooking as you would fondant (see Stuffed Dates).
Cook to soft ball stage (236�)
Remove from heat — cool 1 minute.
Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Beat with electric beater till creamy.
Pour by spoonfuls over whole pecans (2 or 3 in each piece)

“I put large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the cabinet. Arrange pecans on it while candy is cooking, then it is easy to remove candy even if it is a little soft or a little hard.

“It takes a LONG time for this to cook - when it gets thick you should control heat to keep a very slow boil and stir the bottom slowly but frequently. It burns easily. The more you stir, the grainier it gets, but you have to stir to prevent burning.

“Good luck -
“Sugar is pretty expensive for experimenting and this goes wrong easily. It takes practice.”