Will you still love me? Chocolate Pancakes and Chocolate & Strawberry Tamales.
http://www.manifestvegan.com/2011/02/triple-chocolate-pancakes/
If I tell you that our chocolate pancakes are an adaptation of Manifest Vegans Triple Chocolate Pancakes recipe, will you still love us? Well it’s true. In fact Manifest Vegan is about the most awesome gluten-free vegan sight going, especially when it comes to gluten free vegan baked goods. I’m looking forward to baking some gluten-free vegan scones in March (blueberries might be in season by then) and now Allyson Kramer has a cook book. I want it. I want it. I want it.
Go get on the waiting list now. The link is on the bottom right of her homepage.
Some tips about this recipe:
a. It may need more sorghum flour and/or chocolate from time to time.
b. We use almond milk only, we have had problems with soy.
c. Curdle the milk with the vinegar. Give it time and look for a change in the texture.
d. A dash of Xanthan Gum can help them stick together.
e. Since Jade started praying over the pancakes they have come out perfectly without xanthan gum. I’m just saying.
f.It should taste like chocolate cake batter.
Belated Tamales D”Amour recipe:
At any rate an original recipe is here required. I can’t just repost Manifest Vegan. You work too hard for that. You deserve better.
One Chocolate and one Strawberry Tamale
Chocolate Tamales
1 8-ounce package dried corn husks
3 1/2 cups dried masa harina for tamales
2 1/4 cups hot water
½ cup hot coffee
2 T. Mexican Vanilla
9 ounces Mexican chocolate, chopped
1 1/3 cups Canola Oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup coconut milk or water
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
Preparation
Soak the Corn Husks in Water for at least an hour
Put water on to boil. As it boils start assembling the other ingredients.
Grind the Mexican Chocolate into a powder. Use a food processor or a big knife but don’t cut yourself.
When the water is boiling put the dry masa into a mixing bowl and turn it on medium speed.
Slowly pour the hot water into the spinning dry masa. Hot liquids help to make the tamales fluffy. Add the coffee and the vanilla as well. Mix this together until it is completely dissolved and there is no dry masa. You may have to stop and scrape the bowl. Once all of this is integrated add all of the other ingredients except the chocolate chips and mix very thoroughly. this may take five minutes or so and you may have to scrape the bowl.
The masa should be fluffy and sweet. If it tastes good before it’s cooked it will taste good after its cooked! If not add more chocolate or coconut milk or sugar as needed.
Fold in the chocolate chips after you have taken the Masa out of the mixer.
Strawberry Tamales
1 3/4 cups hot water
3 cup white corn masa harina
1 cup vegan sugar
1 1/2 cups Pureed fresh organic local strawberries
3/4 cup Canola Oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. Vanilla
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. Baking Powder
Prepare the masa just as you would with the chocolate tamales, starting with the dry masa in the mixer, mixing. Pour the hot water slowly into the masa and mix until total integration occurs. Then you can add everything else and mix some again until total integration ( about 5 minutes)
Rolling and Steaming Tamales
If you have a big enough table lay out all of your soaked corn husks at once. If not, lay out as many Corn husks as you have room. Place a dollop of chocolate masa batter in each corn husk.
Now is the part where you can get creative. First shape the masa into big tootsie rolls. Next press nuts, peppers, candy or fruit onto the masa to decorate it.
Leave a ½ inch gap between the straight edge of the corn husk and the tamale. Give yourself enough room at the pointier end of the corn husk for the end to fold over and secure the tamale.
Roll the tamale in the corn husk to form a tube. Flap the smaller end of the husk over to form a bottom. Lay the tamale down so it lies on the flap and does not unravel.
Wrap several tamales in foil packs or just set them in a tamale pot or a steamer with plenty of water in the bottom, coming up to the perforations in the steaming plate. Try to arrange the tamales in the pot so that there is plenty of room in between them for steam to circulate. Place a towel or two on top of the tamales. Cover the tamales and steam for 30 to 45 minutes.
The Sauce
A balsamic reduction is an old catering trick, which is chef code for fast and easy solution.
1/4 Cup Sugar or Agave Nectar
1/4 -1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
Melt together in a sauce pan on low heat until the sugar disolves completely and you have a glaze. For thick glaze add less vinegar.
1 cup Strawberries
I like to marinate large chunks of strawberries in glaze for about an hour if I can.
Viola, Glaze!
