Pina Colada Tamales

These are breakfast or dessert tamales.

Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients

Filling

• 1/2 cup dried banana chips
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 22 corn husks, soaked
• Masa dough for sweet tamales
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup fruit juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whipped cream (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Masa for Sweet Tamales

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups Masa Harina
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup fruit juice, milk, or soymilk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Filling

1. Use a food processor to finely chop the dried banana; combine the banana, almonds and coconut in a bowl.
2. Use 2 husks to make strips for tying the tamales.
3. Take about 1 cup of the pineapple and puree it with the fruit juice and brown sugar.

Masa for Sweet Tamales

1. Cream the shortening and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the masa and salt.
3. Alternately add the masa and juice to the creamed shortening to make a firm dough; beat in the baking powder last.

Assembly

1. Spread 1 tablespoon filling in the center of a husk; sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of the banana/almond mixture over the dough and press a pineapple chunk into the dough. Spread another tablespoon of the dough over the the filling and fold and tie the tamale. Steam for about 1 hour 15 minutes.

To serve

1. Open the tamale and top with sauce, whipped cream and lime zest.

Attribution

Vegetarian Times - October 1996