Pina Colada Tamales

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried banana pieces
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 22 corn husks, soaked
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup fruit juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whipped cream (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups masa harina
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup fruit juice or 3/4 cup milk or 3/4 cup soymilk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Recipe

• 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.
• 4 cream the shortening and sugar.
• 5 in a separate bowl, mix together the masa and salt.
• 6 alternately add the masa and juice to the creamed shortening to make a firm dough; beat in the baking powder last.
• 7 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.
• 8 spread another tablespoon of the dough over the the filling and fold and tie the tamale.
• 9 steam for about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• 10 to serve: open the tamale and top with sauce, whipped cream, and lime zest.