Experienced cooks/chefs:

[Flaxbee]

Is there a decent substitute for masa harina? I'd like to make a Mexican dessert and the recipe calls for masa harina (corn dough); all I have is corn meal and the redneck grocery stores around here don't carry nuthin' fancy like masa harina. The recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon of it.

Any suggestions?

[eyesroll]

1. Hm...What's the masa harina being used for?

One tablespoon doesn't sound like it's for a crust or anything -- is it a thickening agent? If so, you can use regular flour if you're cooking it.

You may be able to get away with omitting it masa harina altogether.

[Flaxbee]

4. It's for "Dulce de Pinon y Pacana"

... Pecan and Pine Nut Dessert.

It does seem like it's used as a thickening agent. Recipe follows:

2 cups 1% milk
3/4 cup roasted pine nuts
3/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. masa harina
1 cup Strawberry-Vanilla Sauce
Pecans/pine nuts for garnish.

Can substitute pecans with walnuts

In a blender, combine half the milk, the pine nuts, the pecans & puree. Add remaining milk and egg substitute & blend.

In a skillet, cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken. Add sugar, nutmeg, and masa harina and continue to stir until thick.

Let cool, serve in dessert cups. Drizzle with Strawberry Vanilla sauce.

Strawberry Vanilla sauce:

2 tbsp 1% milk
3 tbsp egg substitute
2 tbsp turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw, I think)
1 tsp. cornstarch
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup strawberry jelly
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine milk, egg substitute, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring up heat slowly, stirring constantly. Slowly add evaporated milk, continuing to stir. Add jelly and blend, add vanilla and immediately remove from heat. Cool before using.

[eyesroll]

6. You should be able to use regular flour

if you add it at the beginning (into the blender). It needs a few minutes to cook, or else it has a sour taste.

Alternatively, you could use cornstarch (mix in with an equal amount of water, and use about a teaspoon) -- mix that in where you'd use the masa.

Hope this helps. This looks good.

[The empressof all]

2. You could try

You could try processing the corn meal in a food processor a bit to make it a bit finer and use that as a substitute. Not the same but could work

[DrWeird]

3. Where are you at?

Even if your local grocery store has a tiny little Mexican food shelf it's probably got masa.

[Flaxbee]

5. NW Virginia...

but about 1-1/2 hours outside of DC... I could go into Winchester and possibly find it but my local store didn't have it...

[SOteric]

7. Order it online at this website:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/

[RoadRunner]

8. Grits. Bet they have that.

or maybe half and half grits and cornstarch.