History

The Belgian praline was invented in 1912 by Jean Neuhaus II at the family Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert pharmacy-confiserie (the original Neuhaus shop opened on Galerie de la Reine in 1857). His wife Louise Agostini then invented the ballotin box in 1915 to keep the pralines from being crushed in the paper cones used at the time. Wittamer (1910), Mary (1919) and Pierre Marcolini (1995) extended the tradition through the 20th century.

Common allergens: Dairy, Tree nuts, Soy

Make it at home

Yield 24Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 400g dark chocolate (70 percent Callebaut or Valrhona), finely chopped, for tempering
  • 150g double cream (for ganache)
  • 30g unsalted butter (for ganache)
  • 100g dark chocolate (60 percent), finely chopped (for ganache)
  • 20g glucose syrup or honey (for ganache)
  • 1 tbsp Cognac, Grand Marnier or coffee extract (optional)
  • 100g hazelnut praline paste (or homemade by blending roasted hazelnuts with sugar)
  • Polycarbonate or silicone praline mould with 24 cavities
  • Pastry scraper, palette knife, marble slab or cold work surface
  • Cocoa powder, gold leaf or chopped pistachios, to garnish

Method

  1. Temper the dark chocolate: melt 280g of the chocolate gently over a bain-marie to 50C. Take off the heat, add the remaining 120g chopped chocolate and stir until melted and cooled to 28C. Warm briefly back to 31C. The chocolate should be glossy and snap cleanly.
  2. Pour tempered chocolate into each cavity of the mould to fill. Tap to release bubbles, then invert over a clean tray to drain excess back; this leaves a thin shell.
  3. Scrape the top flush with a pastry scraper. Cool the mould upside-down for 5 minutes; refrigerate 10 minutes to set the shell.
  4. Make the ganache: warm the cream, butter and glucose until just steaming. Pour over the chopped 100g chocolate. Stand 1 minute, then whisk smooth. Stir in the optional spirit. Cool to room temperature.
  5. Whisk in the hazelnut praline paste until smooth.
  6. Transfer ganache to a piping bag. Pipe into each chocolate shell, filling to about 2mm below the top. Tap the mould gently.
  7. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set the ganache.
  8. Warm the remaining tempered chocolate briefly back to 31C. Spread a thin layer across the open tops of the moulds with a palette knife. Scrape flush.
  9. Chill 30 minutes until the chocolate snaps. Invert the mould and tap to release the pralines.
  10. Garnish each with a dust of cocoa, a flake of gold or a sprinkle of chopped pistachios. Store in a sealed tin at 16C.

Tip from the editors. Tempering is the entire challenge; untempered chocolate gives dull, soft pralines that bloom in days. A marble slab and instant-read thermometer matter most.

Where to eat praline belge

Praline Belge in Brussels

Wittamer ★ 4.5

Bakery€Tue-Sun 08:00-19:00Belgian patisserie and chocolate

Wittamer in Brussels has held the Sablon corner since 1910. The family patisserie supplies the Belgian royal house, with a tea room at number 6.

Worth the queue: Royal de chocolat

Place du Grand Sablon 12, 1000 Brussels

Frederic Blondeel ★ 4.5

Bakery€Tue-Sun 10:00-18:30Walk-in onlyBean-to-bar chocolate and patisserie

Frederic Blondeel in Brussels' Sainte-Catherine roasts single-origin cocoa in his Quai aux Briques workshop. Open tue-sun 10:00-18:30. Booking recommended.

Worth the queue: Single-origin praline boxes

Quai aux Briques 24, 1000 Brussels

Maison Dandoy ★ 4.6

Bakery€Daily 09:30-22:00Walk-in onlySpeculoos and Brussels waffles

Maison Dandoy in Brussels has been baking speculoos since Jean-Baptiste Dandoy opened in 1829. Open daily 09:30-22:00. At Rue Charles Buls 14.

Worth the queue: Gaufre de Bruxelles with whipped cream

Rue Charles Buls 14, 1000 Brussels

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