My friend Deborah Sharpe, the West coast editor for Self Magazine, was quite surprised by the absolute freshness of the tamales I was serving at my restaurant Abiquiu. Her image of tamales was that they were lumpy and doughy. Inspired by what she had tasted, she asked me to create a tamale for her readers that would be low in fat and salt, yet with explosive flavors. This tamale, which makes the most of delicately flavored summer produce, was called the "Self Tamale for the Sexy Woman" on the menu from then on.

LEARN ALL ABOUT TAMALES!
Be sure to check out the related features links below for the FabulousFoods.com Tamale Tutorial with recipes and photo instructions for making this fabulous, festive food. Even if you're new to making tamales, you're sure to achieve spectacular results.

To prepare the sauce, place the carrot juice, garlic and ginger in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and reduce the juice by 1/2 -- about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.

To prepare the tamales, lay out each square of banana leaf on a flat work surface and brush lightly with olive oil. Divide the sweet corn tamale mixture evenly among the leaves and mold into a rectangular shape. Fold 2 of the sides over the other 2 sides to form a tight envelope package. Repeat for the remaining tamales. Fill the bottom of a steamer or saucepan fitted with a strainer or vegetable basket with 2-3 inches of water. Bring the water to boil and place tamales in the steamer. Cover tightly with a lid or foil (it is important that little or no steam escapes during cooking). steam tamales for about 15 minutes over lightly boiling water until firm, adding more boiling water as necessary.