Made of almonds or hazelnuts coated with cooked sugar, a pink version of the praline is particularly appreciated in Lyon where it can be eaten in a brioche or, as a dessert, in a tart that is always very photogenic. But does the pink praline really come from the big city of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region?
In France, the praline generally takes the form of a candy (called chouchou in Belgium) whose heart is an almond or a peanut, whereas in Louisiana (United States) it is rather made of pecan nuts, brown sugar, butter and cream. In all cases, a praline contains at least peanuts and generally has a hazelnut taste that can be found in Paris-Brest or Trianon.
In Lyon, it is its crunchy version that is favored with a coloring specific to the 3rd largest city in France: pink. This caramelized candy was born in the 19th century in Montargis (after a chef accidentally dropped a nut in melted sugar) and its first use is traced in a recipe in Saint-Genis-Sur-Giers. A pastry chef then created a brioche with a pink praline on its crust and, given its success, created a version filled with this greedy mixture.
It was not until the 1970s that a starred chef from the Ain region, Alain Chapel, thought of capitalizing on the success of this specialty from Saint-Genis-Sur-Giers by using it in a dessert: the praline pie was born! Short of a typical pastry, the city of Lyon then offered this creation on the menu of its famous "bouchons" restaurants and, since the 1990s, foreign tourists as well as the French have been raving about it to the point that it is now considered an authentic local specialty.
It must be said that it is in this city that one finds the best pralines: the Master Chocolatier Voisin proposes for example (since 1897!) products still made in a traditional way with in particular the use of copper cauldrons for the coating of the sugar. Your mouth is watering? You can order them here. Have a good tasting!
Valérie from Comme des Français
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