Pina Colada Coconut Tamales Food

SWEET TAMALES WITH PINEAPPLE AND COCONUT

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for about 3 hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Combine pineapple, water, and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until pineapple is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mix masa dough with butter and baking powder in a bowl until well combined. Add cooked pineapple, coconut, and raisins; knead into a smooth dough.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 1 tablespoons masa mixture onto the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 45 minutes. Let tamales stand for 15 minutes before serving.

PINA COLADA TAMALES

Steps:

• Use a food processor to finely chop the dried banana; combine the banana, almonds and coconut in a bowl.
• Use 2 husks to make strips for tying the tamales.
• Take about 1 cup of the pineapple and puree it with the fruit juice and brown sugar.
• Cream the shortening and sugar.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the masa and salt.
• Alternately add the masa and juice to the creamed shortening to make a firm dough; beat in the baking powder last.
• Assembly: 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: Open the tamale and top with sauce, whipped cream, and lime zest.

PINA' COLADA COCONUT TAMALES

Steps:

• Husk.
• Soak corn husks in hot water to cover 30 minutes. Separate husks, removing all red and brown corn threads and dirt.
• Masa.
• Combine masa 1 cup of shortening or margarine, 1 Table spoon brown sugar, ½ a cup of raisins, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into mixing bowl and water gradually. Combine and fold masa and shortening together. Fold shortening mixture for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix masa and shortening until fluffy, add more water as needed.
• Test masa and consistency by taking a piece of the masa mixture and dropping it into a glass of warm water, and if it floats it is ready for use. Cover masa mixture with plastic wrap.
• Filling.
• Combine into a quart size simmering pan 2-20oz cans of diced pineapples, 1 cup coconut, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1 cup of raisins, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of water. Boil mixture for 15 minutes then simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and syrupy. Remove filling from the stove and cool.
• Using hands spread masa mixture on the inside of the corn (you can combine two husks together by over lapping one on the other for larger tamales.
• Spoon about 1 tablespoons pineapple down center the masa. Sprinkle with about 1 1/2 teaspoons raisins. Roll up husk, rolling left side over right. Fold bottom narrow end up and over, and secure with husk strips or kitchen string. Repeat procedure with remaining corn husks, masa, pineapple, and raisins.
• Using a small tamale pot or double boiler place water in pot and boil before adding tamales to cut down on cooking time. Once the water has started to boil place tamales side by side and stacking them in an orderly fashion and cook until the masa on the inside of the husk is firm but not tough.