Darrach Bourke is a well established San Francisco Bay Area wealth management executive who engages as senior vice president with Emerson Equity in San Mateo. A culinary enthusiast, Darrach Bourke enjoys cooking with his wife and excels at dishes from authentic Italian pastas to Mexican-style corn tortillas.
A classic tortilla recipe begins with masa harina, or ground corn meal, which is combined with vegetable oil and formed into a ball by hand as water is gradually added. The dough is placed on a surface that has been sprinkled with light flour to prevent sticking, and quickly kneaded until it has an even and smooth consistency, with an elastic give-and-take.
The dough is then wrapped in plastic and allowed to rest on the counter for a couple of hours. When mealtime approaches, pieces of dough are broken off and rolled out or pressed with the hands into the preferred diameter. The tortillas should be cooked for approximately five minutes in a skillet at medium-high temperature. Flip once when a light browning occurs in spots. Though they keep well in a refrigerator, corn tortillas are best served fresh and can be kept warm by placing them in a towel on the table.
