Tamales

Here are three superb chefs who know their stuff about tamales, even going together to Oaxaca to learn firsthand the traditions handed down over three thousand years of tamale practice. It's all here, from masa, wrappers, steaming techniques, then recipes, glorious recipes using fowl, seafood, even wonderful dessert tamales. Just a few is all that I've been able to attempt. It does take effort and devoted time to do these correctly, especially for those who have not attempted such before. But as others profess, the results are worth it! One that particularly grabbed my tastebud attention was Escargot Forestiere made with snails, ham, mushrooms, with flavorful Merlot Veal stock. This turned out absolutely unbelievable, reminding me somewhat of Esgargot Under Pastry, which is one of my favorites. Being the exploring non-traditionalist that I am when first attempting something, I turned to an exotic dessert tamale also: Arborio Rice-Dried Fruit Pudding Tamales with Rum Cream. It was rich and outstanding, the perfect finale dish for any who enjoy Rice Pudding. This is truly a great resource to play with and explore different flavor combos, what cooking is about and when it becomes fun. This cookbook is one of those that inspires going off it one's own culinary directions, having seen what these three Tamale Masters do. There is great source section and even dinner plate source info if desired. This is great one-dish specialty cookbook from three great chefs! Already familiar with the likes of Miller and Pyles, neat to learn from Sedler, who has some of my favorites from this. Great photos and written text.

TAMALESBy Mark Miller, Stephan Pyles, and John Sedlar with John HarrisonPhotographer: Lois Ellen FrankIf you are not Latino or never lived in the southwest, chances are your first tamale was a strange little package, wrapped and tied as a bundle inside an early TV dinner. Further, it was probably pale red, mushy and you liked the nearby enchilada better. Tamales become gourmet, fusion cuisine in this book, and your ideas for more can be endless. Basically think of a tamale as a house in structure. It has its foundation, living rooms and finally the roof. With tamales the foundation is a corn husk wrapper lined with masa dough, the living area is the filling and the roof a tantalizing sauce. Tamales can be vegetarian, seafood, poultry, any meat or desserts, depending on ingredients. Tamales, the lined corn husk wrapped around and filling and cooked over steam. The masa base for the dough is large-kernel corn which looks like hominy. It is dried, cooked in limewater, drained, dried again and ground into flour. You can also purchase it, then proceed with one of the book's intriguing flavored masa dough recipes. Some variations include: Roasted Corn Tamale Masa DoughWild Mushroom-Chipotle Tamale Massa DoughRed Thai Curry Tamale Massa DoughHabanero-Blackened Tomato Tamale Massa Doughplus many more.Just a few of the filling and sauce recipes are: Wild Mushroom and White Truffle TamalesArtichoke and Sun-Dried Tomato Tamales with Olive Oil and SaffronSalmon Tamales with Red Pepper Masa and Mole AmarilloShrimp Tamales with Ranchero SauceClam Tamales with Fennel and Chayote-Melon SalsaChicken Tamales with Mole PoblanoDuck Tamales with Pineapple and ChipotleBittersweet Chocolate Tamales with Anchos, Prunes and Raisins (one of several dessert tamales)Apt headnotes identify newly-introduced ingredients and clarify each recipe's mission. Helpful, too, is the book's section, Basic Recipes, Sauces, and Techniques. In it they cover such steps as blackening tomatoes, tomatillos, chiles, and onions. It also goes into how to process chiles, toast herbs and spices and make delicious stocks.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks. I have made several of the recipes in this book and all have turned out excellent. The arroz con pollo recipe is my personal favorite, my friends and family agree! This is not a "quick" cookbook, however, many of the recipes I have tried require several hours. Many recipes require roasting peppers, rehydrating dried chiles, and chopping lots of veggies. Fortunately most of the work is prep work, towards the end of the recipe it's "put the skillet in the oven and bake for 40 minutes" or "steam the tamales for 25 minutes" which means if you time it right, you still have time to get ready for the guests to arrive after all the messy stuff is done, while the meal is still cooking. Also, if you want, prepare the tamales and put 'em in the fridge, a great idea if you have several hours before the guests arrive. And don't worry if you can't find dried corn husks or banana leaves, plastic wrap works fine in their place (they suggest this in the intro, as well as a dozen other items that can make these recipes easier). If you like Mexican food, and like spending a few hours in the kitchen just so your guests say "this is the best food I have ever had!" then this is a book you want to take a look at.

Just a brilliant book about tamales....The three chefs seem to have taken the time to simplify one of the greatest meals ever.. the Mexican tamale!I have made almost every recipe in the book and have loved all of them....

I searched for recipes to perfect my tamales and came up with little success until i stumbled upon this book. Getting masa to have both a good flavor and texture can be tricky, but i've been successful on both levels with the various masa dough recipes. This book goes beyond the traditional tamale by creating some of the most innovative and flavorful recipes - - sauces included! Mark Miller has succeeded in yet another fabulous cookbook!