Revisiting Some Recipes

Around the time COVID began, I had a lot of changes occur in my life, things were upside down for a time, and then COVID just continued to mess with our lives. And in all of that, I just lost the desire to invent new recipes, hence the very few recipes in my blog since 2019, and the Newsletter just didn't hold an iota of interest. It is now nearly three years since I posted a Newsletter, so I am allowing it to lapse.

However, there were some really good recipes that had been available only through the Newsletter. I had links to most of them in the Index portion of this blog site, but now that the link to those recipes will expire along with the newsletter, I deleted the links to those recipes, and will hopefully get the majority added back in, as I post them here in this blog. 

Goat Cheese Tarts with Fig and Preserved Lemon Jam

The following recipe was a remake of an older recipe, with a new twist or two, and they were so stupendously good, I have to assure that the recipe stays available! These are little bite (or two) sized appetizers I created to pair with a sampling of white wines at a wine tasting evening. If memory serves, they paired best with a Chardonnay. I realize "Chardonnay" is rather generic for the many and varied iterations of that grape, but a nice, buttery type is the best.

I have long had a medium sized, marble mortar and pestle set, and in casting around for something to simplify the forming of tart shells in my mini tart pans, I thought of the pestle. Being marble, it is therefore good for use with pastry dough. I found that making small balls of the dough and setting them in the wells of the pan, the thicker end of the pestle can be used to do the broad stroke of making the dough into a relative "bowl" shape in each little well. Flipping the pestle and using the narrow end, it is perfect for pressing the dough against the sides of the little wells and up to the top edges. Necessity: the Mother of Invention.

Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemon is an item that most will not have on hand, unless you are a Middle Eastern, Mediterranean or northern African maybe. I have long been acquainted with the taste of preserved lemon, though I hadn't ever seen them sold anywhere in most of my middle-America travels. Recently though, I spotted Preserved Lemons in a jar on the grocery shelf in southeast Arizona! Imagine my surprise. To make preserved lemons, you need a (preferably sterilized) large-ish glass jar with lid, nice, unblemished and well-scrubbed lemons to press into the jar and sea salt or Kosher salt. Extra lemon juice to top off. Cut halfway into each lemon from one pointed end. Cut into the opposite ends in a crosswise manner, as shown. (Or, simply make two criss-crossing cuts down to near the bottoms of the lemons, but not all the way through.)

Making cuts for preserved lemons

Now, using plenty of salt. pack salt into the cut parts of the lemons, using as much as can possibly be pressed into them. Press these lemons into the clean, prepared jar, packing in tightly so a lot of their juice is pressed out into the jar. Once the jar is filled, or you've used all the lemons that fit, using fresh lemon juice, make sure the lemons are covered with the juice. Cover and let set on the counter for about 3 days, then in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks more.

To use the preserved lemons, the rinds should be completely softened, when they are ready. Cut or tear off as much as you might need (a quarter lemon, half) and separate the inner flesh and discard. Wash the rind before using. It can be added to salads, fish dishes, or giving a great flavor to something like this Fig Jam, below! 

Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Tarts with Fig & Preserved Lemon Jam

Makes 35 mini tartlets

Goat Cheese Tartlets
with Fig & Preserved Lemon Jam

TART SHELLS:
½ cup finely ground pistachios
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup cold unsalted butter
4 ounces regular cream cheese

FILLING:
6 ounces goat cheese (Chevre or Montrachet)
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
½ teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1 pinch salt
3 ounces prosciutto, minced finely

FIG & PRESERVED LEMON JAM:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large shallots, cut in half and sliced
8 dried white figs (135 grams), cut in small pieces
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons finely minced preserved lemon, rind only
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems

TART SHELLS: Grind pistachios finely in a spice grinder or food processor. Place the ground pistachios in the bowl of food processor along with the flour and pepper. Pulse briefly to stir. Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into small cubes and add to the processor. Pulse about 20 times, then turn on to process until the mixture comes together. Turn out and form small balls about 1-inch in diameter or slightly less (10 grams apiece). You should have 35 balls. Set the balls of dough into the wells of mini tart pans. Press dough into the wells and up the sides, then freeze. Once frozen, these can keep, well covered, for up to 2 weeks if needed to do ahead.

Making tart Shells, adding chopped prosciutto and cheese filling

FILLING: Place the goat cheese into a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until the cheese is relatively smooth, then add all the remaining filling ingredients except the prosciutto and beat until the mixture is smooth. This mixture can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, well covered, if needed to make in advance. When ready to make the tarts, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the tart shells from the freezer and divide the minced prosciutto between the tart shells. Pour 1 to 1¼ teaspoons of the goat cheese filling over top of the prosciutto in the shells. Rap the pans a few times sharply on the counter to distribute the filling down around the prosciutto. Bake the tarts for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the filling is set and the shell is golden. Cool and remove from pans. The tarts can also be baked ahead and then frozen. Simply remove the baked and frozen tarts from freezer, set them on a baking sheet and bake them at 350 for 10 minutes to reheat before topping with the Fig and Preserved Lemon Jam, just before serving.

Sauté shallots till golden, add figs and thyme, preserved lemon

FIG & PRESERVED LEMON JAM: Melt the butter in a medium skillet and add in the sliced shallots. Sauté the shallots until they begin to turn golden. Add in the chopped dried figs with all the remaining Jam ingredients and cook until the liquid is mostly gone, and the mixture is sticky and cooked through. If making ahead, place the Jam into a clean container with lid and refrigerate until needed, up to 3 weeks. Using two small spoons, top each tart with a small amount of the ‘Jam’ just prior to serving.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Various Things I Have Been Working On

Middle Eastern Cookbooks

I haven't been writing many blogs. It certainly isn't due to lack of cooking.

Ever since my husband came home with a stack of Middle Eastern cookbooks for me to try out, I have been reading through recipes, book after book . . . and trying some of them out. I've made a version of "Rose Harissa," though mine is not hot spicy, but just spiced. I made a Moroccan bread with cheese rolled and folded into it. These flat breads were amazingly delicious, but loaded with a tablespoon of butter/oil per bread; lots of fat calories, not even counting the cheese. They sure were good though! And I made a Moroccan dinner with chicken and rice, loaded with dried fruits. Last evening I made "Nan e Barbari" from the "Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook" (third from the bottom of my "stack"), available on Amazon.

This bread recipe is found all over on the internet, usually under the name of Persian Flatbread or just Barbari. Looking through many of the recipes (at least 10 of them), they are all very similar. It is a simple enough recipe, using flour, water, salt and yeast. What sets this particular bread apart is the shaping of it, and also the fact that it uses a cooked flour/water topping called "roomal," that seems to play the part of sealing in moisture and creating a nice crust.

Persian Flatbread - Nan e Barbari - Barbari

Looking through the recipes, I also watched one video, and liked how this young woman made her Persian Flatbreads. The site I watched was on YouTube, here, and shows the method well. I believe it helps to have the recipe in front of you, or like me, to have already tried it, and then see what kinds of changes might have been good. 

For me, I added more flour, in an effort to approximate what the book said the dough should be like, but might have been better off leaving the dough just as wet as it started out. A wet dough leaves nice big holes in the finished product, and would be a definite plus. Other than that, for such a simple bread, the flavors were absolutely tremendous, and I would certainly make it again in a heartbeat.

I had already started a dinner from another of the cookbooks, one that was supposed to use lamb stew meat, but instead I used beef stew meat. It was highly flavored with so many things I was really curious how it would taste in the end. It used allspice and cardamom, dill and garlic, sesame tahini and a LOT of sumac! I mean a LOT! The recipe was for two pounds of meat, but I was using just one pound, so I divided the recipe in half. Even so, it called for ONE CUP of ground sumac. Yikes. Well, for starters, though I had sumac, I certainly didn't have a whole cup of it, so I used what I had, which was ¼ cup. Even at that much, the dish was decidedly pink colored from the rosy sumac, and for my husband and me, had sufficient sour notes to not need more. We are not Middle Eastern, and not accustomed to some of the flavors. But regardless, the flavors were extremely delicious and we really enjoyed the meal.

Another Wine Tasting Coming Up

Meanwhile, another wine tasting has been scheduled, this time for December 20th. So close to Christmas, this will be a bit of a busy time to be making so many extra things. Still, my appetizers are part of the deal, so I have been thinking on what to make for this wine tasting. I like to pair my foods as closely as possible to a particular style of wine, so that both wine and food are at their best advantage. In this case, I do not have much control over which wines will be served, so I can only hope and suggest. For now, I am working on two new appetizers. I made one a few days ago, using two different methods. I am still deciding which I shall ultimately use. One is decidedly easier, and the other decidedly more finicky to make, though these last are cute as buttons, so I am leaning in that direction.

Smoky Andouille & Corn Tarts or Pouches

I opted to use some Andouille sausage, along with corn, mozzarella and smoked paprika as flavors. If Andouille sausages are not available, use any smoked and highly flavored sausage, such as a good Kielbasa. Despite the fact that I used the smoked paprika in both the tart dough and in the filling mixture, the "smoky" flavor seemed curiously absent. Still, the dough had the most lovely warm hue. And either way, the flavors were wonderful, so these are a keeper, no matter what. Best of all, they pair magnificently with a nice Malbec (I was drinking "Layer Cake" Malbec).

Making the little tarts, shown at left in the photo above, you would proceed the same way as for countless other tarts. Divide the dough into little balls, then press into mini tart tins. And, I am talking of mini, as in 24 little tiny bites in one tart tin. These are all of 1½-inches across. Lovely little appetizer bites. Easy to pick up and walk with. Easy to take a bite and then a sip of wine. 

Two little cookie scoops

I used one of the two mid sized "cookie scoops" to scoop the filling into both the little tart shells and into the pouches, but more about the pouches in a minute. If you don't have these little cookie scoops, firstly, you really should get some, because they are absolutely invaluable! But, the smaller sized scoop I have is about a two-teaspoon capacity. The slightly larger one is one tablespoon capacity. The two-teaspoon sized scoop is just right for both these tarts and the pouches. Just for decorative purposes, I set a slice of jalapeno pepper on top of each of the tarts. This is entirely optional.

Smoky Andouille & Corn Tarts or Pouches

Makes about 45

Smokey Andouille & Corn Tarts

TART DOUGH:
½ cup unsalted butter
6 ounces cream cheese
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

FILLING:
2 andouille sausages (about 12 - 13 ounces, total), chopped finely or in tiny dice
1⅓ cups canned corn, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces mozzarella shreds
3 scallions, minced
3 large eggs, lightly whisked
1 - 2 fresh jalapeños, sliced into thin rings, optional
1 egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash (optional for pouches)

Make Tart Dough: Cut together all the ingredients with a pastry cutter or two forks, or rub together with fingers. Once the dough starts to come together, bring it all into a ball and allow to rest for a few minutes. Divide the dough into the wells of 48 mini tart pans (approximately 1-inch across at the base). Press into bottom and up sides of the wells, then set into refrigerator until needed.

Smoky Andouille & Corn Pouches

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make Filling: Combine all filling ingredients except the jalapeno and egg wash, and mix well. Using about 2 teaspoons filling per tart shell, fill the shells. Top each little tart with one jalapeño slice and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden and set.

ALTERNATE POUCHES: To form the little pouches instead of tarts, roll the dough out very thinly. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares. If any square is a little too thick, roll it a bit more and trim. Moisten all along the outer edge of the square with water. Begin by making a little pocket to fill. As shown in the first picture below, bring up two of the corners and pinch closed the seam this creates, creating a pouch at one end. Scoop some filling into this little "cup" (figure 2), then bring another corner to the center, pinching along that seam (figure 3) to seal tightly, and finally bring up the last corner, and pinch the seam to either side to seal the pouch completely.

Making Smoky Andouille Corn Pouches

Make the egg wash and using a pastry brush, apply the wash to all the upper surfaces of the pouches. Set the pouches onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden.

MAKE AHEAD: If needed, these can be made, baked and cooled, then frozen for up to 3 weeks. To reheat for serving, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set the frozen pastries onto a baking sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until heated through.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Making Macarons with Less Sugar

Right off the bat I will say that my experience with making macarons (NOT Macaroons, the coconuty sticky cookies) nearly made me swear off of them forever. The one and only time I tried eating them was not favorable, despite their inimitable cuteness factor. They are tiny, darling little sandwich cookies, generally shown in all sorts of improbable colors of the rainbow and I bought a few from our local "patisserie." They were so cloyingly sweet that I had a very hard time even swallowing, and could not make myself take another bite. Do not misunderstand! I have a severe sweet tooth. But those little macarons were so sweet it made my teeth hurt and my throat close.

Less Sugar Chocolate Macarons

So the reason I decided to try making them was all about this upcoming "Renaissance Festival," (formerly Winefest Renaissance). One of the wines I chose was Stella Rosa 'Black.'  It is a slightly sweet, slightly sparkling red wine, quite similar to Banfi's Rosa Regale, and at about half the price. I didn't know what it would be like; sometimes how a thing is described is not exactly what it turns out to be. With the description, however, I felt it would be enough like the Rosa Regale, which we have been drinking for many, many years now, to at least make something and try it out. 

Banfi's Rosa Regale & Stella Rosa 'Black'

My usual dish that I make to serve with the Rosa Regale is Brie in Phyllo with Raspberry Sauce. I had never set the recipe out in this blog, just because it is a bit complicated. While I have made it countless times, I have yet, ever, to have it bake and not leak cheese out of the pouches of phyllo. I finally did put the recipe out here, because let me say - it is fabulous, flavor-wise. And the Rosa Regale could not pair any better. 

The thing that the Rosa Regale and this new (for me) Stella Rosa 'Black' have in common is the "Brachetto" grape. Both wines have a strong leaning to raspberry flavors, though the descriptions include strawberry or even cherry. Brachetto is a red grape, sometimes described as a "black" grape. The flavors described in the wine world are things like:

"Strawberry, Raspberry, Rose Petal, Fruity,

Tree Bark, Tar, Clove, Flowers, Violet, Damp Forest."

Some of these might sound strange, when describing a semi-sweet red wine, but though I may not have thought of these adjectives on my own, I can most certainly identify with the descriptors. 

All this is by way of saying why I served the wine with Brie in Phyllo with Raspberry Sauce, and why it went so well. There are those elements that would seem to describe a non-sweet wine. But in fact, the very first time we tried the Rosa Regale (then it was called "Brachetto d'Acqui), was at a wine tasting, and the food pairing was a dessert of not-too-sweet chocolate gelato with fresh raspberries. Since I loved that pairing as well, I was thinking along the lines of something that would have chocolate, somehow. Hazelnuts were something also mentioned in things that pair with the Brachetto wines, and my thought was Hazelnut Macarons.

AHA! We Finally Get to the Crux of the Matter

Less Sweet Chocolate Macarons
with Chocolate Ganache Filling

All right then, back to the little macarons. I wanted something with chocolate and hazelnut. And I wanted something not so cloyingly sweet as those I had previously tasted. I looked up recipes for macarons, and specifically hazelnut macarons. That search led me to lots of places, and also to places with less sugar types. What I gleaned from all the searching and researching, is that to obtain the particular texture and such, that is equated with macarons, too much tinkering with the recipe will ruin the little cookies. A tiny bit of leeway is possible, but beyond that - watch out!

Add to that the sheer persnikety-ness of making them. If it's too humid, they won't come out. If you make the French meringue method, it is prone to work great one day and terribly the next. The preferred method is using Italian Meringue. Crud. I really hate making Italian Meringue. Some places say it is best to sift the almond meal (or hazelnut meal, in my case) at least three separate times, placing it into the food processor with confectioners' sugar to try and make the nut particles small enough to pass through the sifter. Then there is the thought floating around that is is best if you sieve the egg whites before using them.

Have any of you, ever, tried sieving egg whites? Great heavens, it takes FOREVER! 

Ultimately, my study led me to a couple of concepts for less-sweet macarons. 

1. You can substitute 1/10th of the confectioners' sugar with rice flour. More, and you ruin the texture.
2. Substituting 1 tablespoon of the nut meal with 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa will also reduce the sweetness, as cocoa is bitter on its own. 

Add to that a less-sweet filling, and I felt this would result in an overall less sweet macaron that could pair well with the Stella Rosa 'Black' wine. 

And Then, I Made Them . . . 

After 5½ hours, I was hot, tired and ready to throw in the towel. And all I had were 30 cookies. And if I was making these for the Renaissance Festival (Wine Event), I would need a minimum of 150. Double that, if they were really small. No way. No way AT ALL. I tried one recipe with the Italian Meringue. I still hate making Italian Meringue. And really, after all that work, they didn't really come out that well. The French meringue version (just beat the egg whites with sugar to glossy stiff peaks) worked far better, came out smoother.

I never even tried making the ganache, because I knew I was not going to make this recipe for the event. I had some leftover icing in a container, and just piped that into the cookies to make the little sandwiches, and my husband and I ate them for dessert over the next few days. Actually, until the last day there were any left, it was only my husband eating them. I was unable to make myself eat them. Plus, that icing in the middle was way too sweet. But when I found a bottle of the Stella Rosa 'Black' in our grocery, I bought it, chilled it and opened it to try with the cookies, sweetness notwithstanding. 

And it was Like a Miracle!

I swear, angels sang!

The little macarons, despite that too-sweet icing inside, were absolutely fabulous with the Stella Rosa 'Black.' I couldn't believe it! It just couldn't have been a better pairing. Despite all this, I still will not use these for the Renaissance Festival!

Ultimately, since I couldn't find any hazelnut meal locally, I used almond meal, which is what these little cookies are supposed to be made with anyway. Ultimately, I never got around to buying the Nutella to add to the chocolate ganache, either. So these turned out to be just Less-Sweet Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Ganache Filling.

I had saved most of the French meringue batch in the freezer. Yesterday I filled them with chocolate ganache. I used about ¾ 65% bittersweet chocolate and ¼ 85% chocolate. The ganache was lovely, perfect, and really not very sweet at all. Perfect. I filled the little cookies and they are resting, since they are really best after about 3 days. I expect to taste these with the remainder of the bottle of Stella Rosa 'Black' and be thrilled. So here is the preferred recipe I ultimately created with the French meringue method.  It is absolutely best to weigh the ingredients, so this is how I set out the recipe.

Less Sweet Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Ganache Filling

Makes about 32 sandwich cookies

Less Sweet Chocolate Macarons
with Chocolate Ganache Filling

MACARONS:
7.2 ounces confectioners' sugar
0.8 ounce rice flour
4.4 ounces almond meal
0.2 ounce unsweetened cocoa powder (1 tablespoon)
3.75 ounces egg whites (3 - 4 egg whites), at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

GANACHE FILLING:
¼ cup whipping cream
2 ounces 65% bittersweet chocolate
1 ounce 85% dark chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 

Cut sheets of parchment to fit at least 3 large baking sheets. On the reverse side of the parchment, trace around some item that is approximately 1¼-inch diameter (a bottle cap, or a large icing tip), making circles spaced 1-inch apart. Make even numbers of the circles, as they will all need to be paired when filled. Make circles on the reverse of a second sheet. Set the parchment with the drawn circles facing the baking sheet, so none of the lead or ink gets on the cookies. Set aside.

Combine the confectioners' sugar, rice flour, almond meal and cocoa powder in a bowl. Stir, then pass the mixture through a sifter or sieve with medium holes (not a colander with large holes). A very fine-holed sieve will not work. If any of the nut mixture will not pass through the sifter, place the remainder in a food processor to attempt making the nuts into much smaller bits. Pass these through the sifter. Repeat as needed, until all the mixture has been passed through the sifter. Then, re-sift the whole mixture again, and then again. And once more, if there is any nut mixture remaining in the sifter, process it over again until fine. Set the sifted mixture aside.

Place the room temperature egg whites into a squeaky-clean bowl with the cream of tartar and with a hand mixer with equally clean beaters, beat the whites at medium speed until they form soft peaks. Increase to high speed and slowly add in the granulated sugar, beating until the mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks (the peaks should stand strait up, without drooping at all).

Sift about a third of the almond mixture over the egg whites and with a rubber spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients. Sift another third of the almond mixture over and fold it in gently, then repeat with the remaining third of the almond mixture. The egg whites will deflate quite a bit, due to the oils in the nuts, but this is expected. The mixture should be nicely glossy and slowly slide off a spoon, something like lava flowing.

A piping bag is the best and easiest to use to create the little circles on the parchment, but it is possible to just drop the mixture from a spoon if need be.

Make as many little cookies as possible, filling the circles drawn on the parchment (clearly visible through the paper). Once done with one sheet, lift the sheet and drop it onto the counter about three times (from a height of about 6 inches), to release any air bubbles. Set the sheet of cookies aside to rest and firm up for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to an hour or so. The cookies should be able to be touched gently with no stickiness. Repeat with the next sheet and parchment as needed.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the macarons have rested, set them on a center rack in the oven. Immediately reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Bake them for 14 or 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The cookies should barely color, and the characteristic ruffled "feet" should have appeared. Once done, remove the pan from the oven and slide the parchment with the cookies onto a rack to cool. 

Return the oven to 400 degrees before placing the next batch into the oven, then repeat the process: lower heat to 300 degrees, bake, turning halfway, then remove to rack to cool.

Once cooled, remove the cookies from the parchment very gently, using the parchment itself to push the cookies off, rather than try and lift the cookie. 

The cookies may be filled immediately, though they are best eaten after 2 or 3 days. Unfilled, they may be frozen for up to 3 weeks, wrapped very well. Then, simply thaw, fill and set aside for 2 - 3 days before eating.

GANACHE: Chop the chocolate(s) very fine and place in a bowl. Heat the cream to just under boiling and pour over the chocolate. Stir with a silicone spatula until all the chocolate has melted. Add in the butter and stir until all the butter has dissolved and dispersed. Set the ganache aside to cool to room temperature before using. 

Pipe a thin layer of ganache onto one half of a cookie, then place another on top to form the little sandwiches.  


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

This Year it is called Renaissance Festival

This April marks the 5th Annual Fundraiser event to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Aberdeen. In past years it was called Winefest Renaissance, but this year due to some technical difficulties, it is called Renaissance Festival. However, "a rose by any other name" and all that; it is the same event. 

This year, I got started on the menu first, due to the lateness of the first meeting. Usually, I select the wines that interest me, then build an appetizer that fits the flavor profile of the wine. In the past years I have created wine and food pairing sheets for just this reason, and have been adding to them each year. I search the internet diligently to find the wine varietal and it's flavor characteristics. These are helpful when pairing a food, as they help point the way. Then I search for any suggested food pairings for that particular varietal. One site in particular has been invaluable: Wine Folly. It is a blog, or an informational site, and when one searches for food pairing with a certain varietal, such as Petite Sirah, this site pops up more times than not. Check it out here: http://winefolly.com/review/petite-sirah-wine-guide/

This is not the only site I search, so between all the places I can find suggestions to pair a wine, I amass all the suggestions and compile a list. 

Sweet Potato Bourbon Tamales with Country Ham and Cheese and Fig Apricot Preserve

Anyway, I started doing things in reverse this year and came up with some proposed foods to make, hoping I could find proper wine pairings from the list, yet to be provided at the time. I did research on the foods I planned, trying to match the wine that had the most hits in the food pairing column. Two foods in particular were so much a match for particular wine varietals that I prayed these might be on the wine list. One of the foods was my recipe for Lamb Burgers with Feta and Tapenade. I planned to make the burgers into mini size, and add the Feta, grated, into the burger rather than try to grill it and keep it atop the little slider. I have already made these and frozen them. I will reheat them before heading to the venue. I made the tapenade also, which just absolutely makes these burgers pop. When searching my lists, Petite Sirah was the only wine that held all the flavors involved: lamb, strong cheese, oregano, mint, olives.

I looked through the wine list when it finally arrived and hurrah! there was one, and only one, Petite Sirah. I pray it is available for me.

Then the other food I planned to try was a version of Tamales. My version bears little resemblance to the flavors of a Mexican Tamal, but I am using corn tamale flour (masa harina) as a base ingredient, and the corn husks to wrap them! I used Bob's Red Mill brand of corn flour for one batch, and Maseca brand for another batch. The corn flour has to be the kind that has been treated with limewater and ground, not cornmeal. 

Tamales just steamed and unwrapped

Outside of that is where the other non-traditional flavors come in. I am calling them "Sweet Potato Bourbon Tamales with Country Ham and Cheese and Fig Apricot Preserve." Long name for these tiny, two-bite tamales, but then they are truly long on flavor. I researched all the possible wines that might fit this flavor profile and two were standouts: Chenin Blanc and Viognier. And guess what? There was one wine on the list - and it contained BOTH these varietals! It is a Terra d'Oro Chenin Blanc/Viognier. I actually found this wine in our local grocery, so since I had already gone ahead and made half the tamales, I thawed 2 for my husband and me to try with the wine. When I opened the wine, the bouquet was immediate and definite. Aromas mainly of fruit, tropical fruit, maybe flowers. It smelled so very inviting. I knew it would taste wonderful. And it did. Then I worried that it might not fit the flavors of the tamales. But after taking a bite, savoring the amazing flavors (if I do say so myself!), then sipping the wine again - well, it could not have been a more perfect match.

The goal I strive for in these wine and food pairings is that the wine taste good (or even better) with the food, and also the reverse. It is imperative that the food be enhanced when tasting the wine with it. In this case, it was both and amazing.

My learning curve on making the tamales was a little steep. I had never made Mexican style tamales before, and not even the Guatemalan ones that are quite similar but called Chuchitos. Getting used to the varying ideas and ways of making these little antojitos (AHN-toe-HEE-toes), or "little cravings," took a little bit of study, but once I got going, they went easily enough. They do take quite some time to make, but with the flavors that come out, they are well worth the effort.  

Sweet Potato Bourbon Tamales with Country Ham and Cheese and Fig Apricot Preserve

Makes 62 mini tamales

MASA (batter):
2 cups corn masa flour for tamales (I used both Bob's Red Mill for one batch and Maseca brand for another)
2 cups hot water, plus more if needed
10 ounces lard
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
12 ounces baked, cooled, peeled, smashed sweet potato
Dried Corn Husks

FILLING:
5 ounces country ham, minced (or substitute Prosciutto or Serrano ham)
5 ounces Chevre or Montrachet soft goat cheese
4 ounces smoked Fontina, or regular Fontina

Earlier in the day, combine the Masa Flour with the hot water and stir to make sure all the flour is wet. If it is so dry that stirring comes to a screeching halt, add more hot water, until the mixture is somewhat stiff, but not dry. More water can be added later if needed. Cover and set the masa aside to fully hydrate, about 2 or 3 hours.

Meanwhile, bake the sweet potato and have it ready. Prepare the filling by setting the minced ham into a bowl. Crumble the chevre and grate the Fontina on a large holed grater. Stir the cheeses together with the ham and set aside.

When ready to mix the masa, place it into the bowl of a stand mixer. It should be perfectly cooled (not cold). Add the lard and salt and beat to combine, then beat on medium high speed for about 2 - 3 minutes. Add in the baking soda, bourbon, maple syrup and sweet potato. Beat on medium high for another 3 or more minutes. If the mixture is not the consistency of hummus, adjust by adding more masa flour (if they are too wet) or more water (if they are too dry).

Place the dried corn husks in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them. They will soften within a couple of minutes. You will need corn husks that are between 6 and 8-inches wide at their wider end. Many will be wider than this, in which case, just rip off any excess. You will also need narrow, ¼-inch wide strips torn from those leftover pieces to use for tying the husks closed for steaming.

measure out masa; spread;  place filling inside; bring edges together

Filling the husks is easiest with two level 1-teaspoon scoops; regardless, use two teaspoons of the masa set about ⅓ of the way up from the wider end of the husk. Spread it to about ¼-inch deep, making a roughly square blob about 3x3-inches. Down the length of the masa, place about 1 teaspoon of the filling. Start lifting both edges of the husk to encase the filling in the masa, then tuck the edge of the husk around the masa and roll to fully encase.  

roll the packet;  fold end upwards;  leave space when tying;  set upright in pot

Now, lift the little roll and fold the narrow end upwards, pushing the masa towards the wider end and letting the pointed end meet the open end. Using one of the narrow strips of corn husk, tie a loose band around the middle of the packet, to prevent the husk from unfolding and spilling all your work right back out. There should be adequate space in the opening for the tamal to "grow" while steaming. There may be some overflow, but hopefully not too much.

Set the little tamale packets standing upright into a large pot with a rack in the bottom (or two - I set two of them, criss-crossing each other). This is to prevent the tamales from actually setting in water. Continue standing, or just slightly leaning the tamales against each other as you roll and tie them shut. Once finished, or the pot is full, put water in the bottom, just to the very bottom of the tamales. Do not have them standing in water. Cover the pot and bring the water to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and steam the tamales for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level, that it does not burn dry!
 

Finished batch of tamales cooling

Once they are steamed, use tongs to remove them to a surface to cool. Store them in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to a month. To reheat, either set them on a rack in a lidded pan to steam for 10 to 15 minutes (half-hour if frozen), or set them onto a pan with foil to cover tightly and reheat slowly at 250 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. If they were frozen, they will take a bit longer, up to 30 minutes.
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The Fig Apricot Preserve is not a total necessity - these little two-bite tamales are amazing on their own. The fruit compote just adds a flavor dimension, so if you want, here is the recipe:

Fig Apricot Preserve

Fig Apricot Preserve, on Tamal

Makes about 4½ to 5 cups

1½ cups dried figs, chopped
1¾ cups dried apricots, chopped
zest of one orange
juice of one orange
3 cups water, divided
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Bourbon, or Port, optional

Place the figs, apricots, zest and juice with 1½ cups of the water, the balsamic vinegar and ancho powder. Bring to boil, lower heat and cook gently, covered for about 20 minutes, until the fruit is well softened.

Set aside to cool slightly, then pour into a food processor with the remaining water, salt and Bourbon, if using. Puree until very smooth. Return to the pot and cover. Bring back to simmer, then remove from the heat to stir, return to heat, and repeat. The mixture is thick, so as it boils, it will splash very hot blobs. Be very careful. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes, to meld flavors. Once cooled, store in glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.