Toast the almonds for 8–10 minutes, until golden brown
Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until caramelised
Stir through the almonds and pour onto a silpat mat or tray lined with baking paper to cool
Notes & thoughts
To use the praline as a powder, break into small pieces and transfer to a food processor and blitz until powdered. This powder can be sprinkled thinly on a baking sheet and baked in a very hot oven to create sugar tulles. For a praline paste, continue to blitz after the power stage has been reached and after a few minutes the oils in the nuts will be released.
Almond may be the traditional choice but other nuts work just as well for praline; try hazelnut, macadamia, walnut or pistachio.
The original recipe was 50g of sugar and 100g blanched almonds. When I tried to do this, the chopped nuts just sucked up the caramel. So I made another 150g of caramel and poured it over. I also salted the first batch a little