Koginut Squash Tamal
Banana Leaf Ice Cream, Raw Honey, Toasted Pepitas
Pastry Chef Isabel Coss of Cosme | New York
Adapted by StarChefs | February 2019
INGREDIENTS:
Banana Leaf Ice Cream: (Yield: 1 liter)
500 grams milk
150 grams heavy cream
50 grams ground raw sugar
25 grams trimoline
50 grams glucose powder
15 grams milk powder
250 grams toasted banana leaves
2½ grams ice cream stabilizer
50 grams Xtabentún anise liqueur
½ tablespoons Maldon sea salt
Roasted Koginut Squash: (Yield: ½ liter)
1 large koginut squash, peeled, halved, and seeded (reserve seeds)
2 grams salt
10 grams raw honey
Squash Tamal: (Yield: 10 tamales)
50 grams raw honey
1½ grams baking powder
200 grams white masa
60 grams cocoa butter, melted
2 grams ground Mexican canela
2 grams salt
10 banana leaves, strings trimmed from tops and bottoms and leaves cut into 8-inch squares
Toasted Squash Seed Powder: (Yield: 1 pint)
2 grams salt
To Assemble and Serve:
Raw honey
Toasted pepitas
METHOD:
For the Banana Leaf Ice Cream:
In a pot over medium-high heat, combine milk, cream, and sugar; bring to full boil and whisk in Trimoline, glucose, and milk powder. Add banana leaf, remove from heat, and infuse to desired depth of flavor. Through a chinos, strain into a Vitamix blender. While blending on low speed, shear in ice cream stabilizer; continue blending on high speed. Add liqueur and salt. Pass through a chinois into a bowl set over an ice bath. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine 10 to 15 minutes.
For the Roasted Koginut Squash:
Heat oven to 350°F. Slicing down the length of the squash, cut into 2-inch wide strips. With a sharp knife, create a grid pattern in the meat. Place squash on a sheet tray facing up and season with salt and honey. Cover tray with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes, or until meat is soft and the grid pattern begins to open up. Cool 15 minutes, still covered. Reserve half the squash for plating. While still warm, transfer remaining squash to a bowl and mash flesh with a large spoon.
For the Squash Tamal:
To a Vitamix blender, add honey, baking powder, masa, 150 grams mashed squash, and 100 grams warm water; purée. Shear in cocoa butter. When emulsified, add canela and salt. Spread 45 grams onto each banana leaf. Fold the top and bottom edges of the leaf up and over, and then fold in the sides to close the packet. Line a steamer tray with banana leaf scraps, place tamales on top; do not stack. Steam on high for 80 minutes.
For the Toasted Squash Seed Powder:
Heat oven to 350°F. On a sheet tray, spread seeds reserved from Roasted Koginut Squash. Sprinkle with salt. Bake 10 minutes, until seeds inflate. Cool slightly, transfer to a spice grinder, and grind to a powder; sift.
To Assemble and Serve:
Heat a combination oven to 350°F on steam. On a quarter-sheet tray, warm Squash Tamal and a slice of Roasted Koginut Squash. Unwrap tamal and place at the bottom of a 6-inch serving bowl. Brush squash with honey and place alongside the tamal. Sprinkle Toasted Squash Seed Powder on top. Place a big scoop of Banana Leaf Ice Cream on top and garnish with pepitas.
