Noun vs. adjective

Question

Why "au praliné" and not "au praline"?

Accepted Answer

Hi James,
Just to add to Maarten's excellent and detailed answer, we accept both

au praliné
and 
à la praline

praline is a feminine noun so 'au' would be incorrect.
Hope this help!

Answer

Not something many would be expected to know before doing the exercise (and wordreference doesn’t help much here).

You would have to be very much into cooking or chocolates and sweets to know the distinctions and differences between pralin, the praline/s and praliné, off the cuff.

I subscribe to a French recipe site, and it has many recipes using ‘praliné’. You should be able to find others on the web.

You will also find ‘Praliné feuilleté’ - the famous bonbon being described, which is made with praliné (noun masculine in this usage).

Praliné is essentially a (flavouring) paste, often used in cooking, made with some type of pulverised, caramelised nut - hazelnut, pecan, almond etc. Hence - au praliné.

(Note, the accents are lost in many English translations and web addresses - doesn’t make it easy !)

https://www.academiedugout.fr/recettes/sables-speculoos-au-praline-pecan-kevin-lacote_16453_2

https://www.fauchon.com/fr/mag/expertises/la-difference-entre-praline-praline-et-pralin/

https://www.embassychocolate.com/blog/history-chocolate-praline

https://www.lamaisondelaviolette.com/fr/bonbons-chocolats/48-brique-violette-praline-feuillete-165g.html

(Larousse describes praliné as a mélange including chocolate, but this is not an essential component according to numerous chef’s recipes).