Bison is super excited about our recent Gingerbread Ale release, we can't imagine drinking anything else right now! While searching for fun and unique fall recipes, we stumbled across this kickass recipes for Sweet Potato Tamales and Pecan Butter from Bobby Flay.
We slightly modified the baking spices used in Bobby's recipe to reflect those used in our Gingerbread Ale. The result is a match made in heaven. The spice blend and sweetness in the rich an hearty tamales are a direct compliment to the spice blend and chewy dark malt and molasses character of the Gingerbread Ale. Super yum!
Sweet Potato Tamales and Pecan Butter
Ingredients
- 20 dried corn husks
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 head roasted garlic, cloves removed
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 large or 2 medium sweet potato, roasted at 375 degrees for about 1 hour or until soft, then peeled and flesh mashed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- Pecan Butter, recipe follows
Instructions
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 and pair with Bison Gingerbread Ale!
Pecan Butter
-
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
-
1/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
-
3 tablespoons maple syrup
-
Pinch cinnamon
-
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Scrape into a ramekin and refrigerate until solid, about 2 hours.
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Bison Brewing Company is an official Meatless Monday organization dedicated to lowering its carbon footprint by choosing to abstain from meat on Mondays. Our goal at Bison Brewing Company is to inspire the craft beer community to rally along with the millions of other people, like us, who support the Meatless Monday movement. We also urge everyone to take the extra step towards sustainability on Meatless Monday by pledging to drink green (local and organic) as well!!
