Lobster and Leek Tamales

Tamales:
1/4 cup shortening, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening, melted
2 cups masa harina de maize
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 pound dried corn husks, soaked in hot water to
soften

Lobster and Leek Filling:
2 leeks, sliced
2 lobster tails, removed from shell and cut into
one-inch pieces
4 roma tomatoes, diced and seeded
3 tablespoons butter
1 bunch chervil
1 lemon

Chardonnay Cream Sauce:
1 cup Chardonnay
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into small squares
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Tomatillo Salsa:
4 tomatillos, chopped
1 small Pasilla chile, diced
3 shallots, diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup Chardonnay
salt and pepper to taste

First, prepare tamales. In a large bowl, beat the quarter cup of room
temperature shortening until fluffy. Add masa and salt. Add broth to masa
mixture a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually mix
in the melted shortening, mixing to the consistency of very thick cake
batter. To assemble tamales, place approximately three tablespoons of masa
in the center of the corn husk. Fold husk to wrap around masa filling,
folding bottom up over enclosed filling. Place a rack two inches above
gently boiling water in a steamer or Dutch oven. Arrange tamales upright
on rack. Do not pack tightly. Fill in extra spaces with corn husks to keep
upright. Cover top of tamales with corn husks. Cover and steam for
two-and-a-half to three hours or until tamales are firm and fall away from
husks.

Now prepare the Chardonnay sauce by heating wine over high heat. Reduce
volume of wine by half. Reduce heat to low, adding cream and salt. Add
lemon juice and butter, stirring continuously until just melted. Next, fix
the tomatillo salsa by heating butter in a saute pan, then adding shallots
and cooking until tender. Add garlic, cooking briefly. In a blender,
combine shallot/garlic mixture with remaining ingredients and puree. Place
ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Finally, prepare lobster and leek filling. Heat butter in a saute pan,
then cook leeks over moderately high heat until tender. Add lobster,
continuing to stir constantly until lobster is no longer translucent. In a
separate pan, heat tomatoes until just warm, taking care not to overcook.

To assemble the dish, unfold corn husk to reveal masa. With kitchen
shears, cut ends and side of husk down. Place saute of lobster and leeks
over top of masa. Spoon Chardonnay wine sauce over lobster and masa.
Sprinkle tomatoes over top of mixture for garnish. Dot around perimeter
with tomatillo salsa. Garnish with chervil sprigs and lemon.
Makes 4 servings.

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