Lynn's Sweet Potato With Pecan Butter Tamales
SWEET POTATO TAMALES
20 x dried corn husks
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels preferably fresh
1 med onion coarsely chopped
1 x roasted garlic head cloves removed
2 cup chicken stock or water
6 tbl unsalted butter
6 tbl vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbl honey
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 lrg sweet potato - (or 2 med) roasted at 375
degrees for about 1 hour or until soft,
then peeled and flesh mashed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
3 tbl maple syrup
Pecan Butter (see below)
PECAN BUTTER
1 stk unsalted butter softened
1/4 cup toasted pecans finely chopped
3 tbl maple syrup
1 pch cinnamon
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Sweet Potato Tamales: About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean
the husks under running water. Soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until
softened.
Puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a food processor. Transfer
the mixture to a mixing bowl and cut in the butter and shortening. Using your
fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, and salt and pepper until there are no
visible lumps of fat. Fold in the sweet potato puree, cinnamon, cloves,
allspice, and maple syrup. The mixture will be a lot looser than you think it
should be, but when the tamales are steamed it will dry out.
Remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks. Drain and
pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying.
Lay 2 husks flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing out and the
broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches. Place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture
in the center. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and
pat down to close. (If the masa drips out a little at the seam, that is no
problem.) Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk, pushing the
filling toward the middle as you tie. Trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the
tie.
Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with
foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes.
To Serve: Slice a slit on top of each tamale and push both ends of the tamale
toward the middle to expose the masa. Top each with 1 tablespoon of Pecan
Butter.
Pecan Butter: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Scrape into a ramekin and
refrigerate until solid, about 2 hours.
This recipe yields 4 servings.