Chocolate tamale with mezcal cream - Mexican Soul

Chocolate Tamales With Chocolate Mezcal Cream

Name: Chocolate Tamales With Chocolate Mezcal Cream
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Photo: Rebecca Dickson

August 03, 2026

A Michelin-starred chef’s indulgent take on the tamale.

In his book, Mexican Soul: A New Style of Cooking, Chef Santiago Lastra of London’s Michelin-starred restaurant KOL demonstrates how to make Mexican food using what’s already in your cupboard. And while the traditional tamale can be savory or sweet, here he creates an indulgent take: chocolate tamales accompanied with a side of chocolate mezcal cream.

Ingredients

Yield:12

2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1 3/4 cups fine semolina flour
2 cups whole milk
2 3/4 oz. unsalted butter
3 1/2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
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Chocolate Mezcal Cream
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. superfine sugar
5 1/2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
4 tsp. espadín mezcal

Tools:small saucepan, whisk, bamboo steamer or steam oven

Preparation

Chocolate Mezcal CreamCombine half the cream with the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer but don’t let it boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, then leave to sit for 1 minute. Stir until fully melted and smooth. Add the mezcal and stir to combine. Leave it to cool.

Whip the remaining cream. Once cool, add half of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and whip together, then add the remaining cream and fold together. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Chocolate TamalesPut the eggs and egg yolk into a bowl with half the sugar and whisk together until fluffy and very pale, almost white.

Combine the semolina, milk, and remaining sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps forming, until the mixture is thick and coming away from the sides of the pan (it should reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit).

Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the butter, egg mixture, and chocolate. Stir until well incorporated, then add the baking powder and salt and incorporate.

Mold the dough into 3 oz. balls. Cut out 12 rectangles of baking parchment, each 8 x 12 inches.

Place a ball of dough in the middle of each baking parchment rectangle. Fold over the paper to create roughly 4 x 5 1/2-inch rectangles. Leave the paper folded nicely on top, like wrapping a gift.

Prepare a bamboo steamer (or use a steam oven if you have one) and steam the tamales in one layer over a high heat for 1 1/2 minutes, ensuring you have enough water for a constant flow of steam. Once cooked, you can keep the tamales warm in the steamer over a low heat or reheat for 8 to 10 minutes when needed.

Serve the tamales warm with the chocolate mezcal cream on the side.