I remember sitting in the backseat of the car next to my little sister, every Sunday mornings after church (well, every other Sunday mornings), heading to the beach. My father and mother in the front , all 4 of us jamming to some good troubadour music. I cherish these memories like no other. Those family moments!
To leave Port-au-Prince, we’d drive along the Route Nationale #1 until we reached Montrouis (one of the most important tourist beach destinations in Haiti).
On our way there, during our hour drive, we’d always pass by any street merchants stops to buy goods like watermelons, cantaloupes, avocados etc.
But one dessert that we’d always seem to bump into was ” tablet”. My favorite was the cashews and coconut one.
Just the other day I was thinking about those memories and I guess that’s what triggers my choices of recipes to post up here most of the time.
Plus, it’s super super easy to prepare. Anyone can do it!
Ingredients:
1 cup of unsalted roasted peanuts
1 cup and 1/2 of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of water
2 tbsps of honey
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp of cinnamon
1/2 tbsp of ginger
1 pinch of nutmeg
Other optional ingredients : Coconut flakes, cashews
Directions:
Grease the surface of a cookie sheet with some oil. (You can also use a parchment paper.
Melt the light brown sugar in the water. Add all your spices. (use a pan)
Then add the peanuts (or cashews) and/or coconut flakes. Let them boil in the sugar mix for about 10mns. Stir occasionally with my favorite tool ( the wooden spoon). 🙂
It should increase in viscosity.
Remove the pan from the fire and stir until the mix thickens.
Pour everything onto the cookie sheet and let it cool off
Once cool, break the tablet into even pieces.
Hint: If you want your pralines to be thick, don’t spread the hot mix too wide on your cookie sheet.
Bonjou! My name is Nathalie Jean-Baptiste.
Yes! I know, my last name doesn’t get any more Haitian than that! Who am I really? I consider myself a renaissance woman. I looooooove learning new skills in any field possible: Culinary, baking, painting, crafting, designing, writing, knitting, sewing. You name it! I often joke while saying “ I’m a tout bagay”. Which literally translates to “I’m everything”. Most say I'd make a great surgeon due to the agility in my hands. Sure, I can manage any tasks requiring detail and precision. It drives my audacity to venture in the kitchen with absolutely no experience. What better motivation than to share my culinary journey with you? To help you get better at things you probably thought you couldn't do. At least, that was my drive!
I guess by now, you’ve already figured out that I'm the cook and photographer behind “Pilon lakay”. This blog started 8 years ago as I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about Haitian cuisine. Back home, I was never taught how to cook nor was I ever interested in being in the kitchen unless it involved baking. Instead, I loved preparing cakes and cookies. (Shhhh! I still do). After a couple of years in the US, like most of us immigrants, I missed food from home. The good stuff, you know! So I decided to take matters into my own hands and make of this a personal exploration of Haitian food. Boy what a journey it has been! While cooking up a storm in the kitchen, I wanted to encourage others like me to actually learn and explore Haiti’s gastronomy. I made sure my instructions were personal and beginner friendly. My recipe directions contain a lot more details than any other regular recipes. With a personal touch, it's a depiction of my thought process when I do these many tasks. I'm sure you can cook anything on here! If I can do it, you can too! Come experience Haiti through your taste buds!
Meet you in the kitchen!
Love,
N.
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5 thoughts on “Tablet pistache (Peanut pralines)”
THANK YOU for this!!! All my non-Haitian Friends are in for a treat!
Hi! I tried it once and it taste awesome! It just didn’t harden out enough. It stayed soft and sticky. Is it very important to boil it exactly 10 min.? Or at least long enough? Other tips to make it harden out better so that it’s breakable? Thanks!
No, 10 mns are not necessarily the exact amount of time it needs to boil for.
When cooking, do use your eyes, the liquid needs to become viscous. As it boils it should thicken.
And from my experience, I’d say to let it air dry long enough for it to harden.
Hope you find the tips helpful 😉
I remember sitting in the backseat of the car next to my little sister, every Sunday mornings after church (well, every other Sunday mornings), heading to the beach. My father and mother in the front , all 4 of us jamming to some good troubadour music. I cherish these memories like no other. Those family moments!
PILON LAKAY 
THANK YOU for this!!! All my non-Haitian Friends are in for a treat!
You’re welcome! I hope they get to enjoy
Hi! I tried it once and it taste awesome! It just didn’t harden out enough. It stayed soft and sticky. Is it very important to boil it exactly 10 min.? Or at least long enough? Other tips to make it harden out better so that it’s breakable? Thanks!
No, 10 mns are not necessarily the exact amount of time it needs to boil for.
When cooking, do use your eyes, the liquid needs to become viscous. As it boils it should thicken.
And from my experience, I’d say to let it air dry long enough for it to harden.
Hope you find the tips helpful 😉
Very helpful. Thank you so much! mwen pral pratike jodi a menm