A pastry case filled with crushed pink sugared almonds melted into cream, which sets into a glossy, vivid pink filling.
What makes it tarte aux pralines
Pink pralines, crushed.
Cream, cooked with them until thick.
A sweet pastry case, and a very sweet tart.
Where it comes from
Pink pralines — almonds in a hard, bright pink sugar coating — are sold all over Lyon and the country around it. Crushing them and cooking them down with cream turns them into a filling that sets as it cools.
It's usually said to have become a Lyon favourite in the twentieth century, taken up by the city's chefs and pastry shops; now it's everywhere, alongside the praline brioche.
How it varies
Brioche aux pralines
The same pralines baked into a brioche, sometimes named after the town of Saint-Genix in Savoy.