Mango Magic
From a light, refreshing mousse to a rich quick bread, this tropical fruit makes a sweet finish.
In our northern clime, mangoes are exotic, but throughout much of the tropical and subtropical world, they are a staple. In the United States, mangoes are grown in Florida and, to a lesser extent, in California and Hawaii. But most of the fruit we get in New England is imported from Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, and, starting about a month ago (for the first time since the 1980s), India.
In Indian and Southeast Asian cuisines, mangoes that are green or semi-ripe are used for pickles, chutneys, salads, and savory dishes such as curry. Ripe mangoes are eaten fresh or used in sweets, salsas, and salads. To tell if a mango is ripe, hold it in the palm of your hand and apply gentle, even pressure. It should give slightly, like a ripe peach, and emit a floral, faintly sweet fragrance from the stem end. Mangoes appear in Boston-area markets in May, are at their peak in June, and are available through September. Most mangoes sold in grocery stores are underripe. Let them sit at room temperature until they soften. As for flavor, ripe mangoes strike a note somewhere between peach and pineapple.
Even when fresh mangoes are in stores, buying frozen mango chunks (available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's) can save a lot of time, and they are fine for these recipes. For the lassi, use them still frozen; for the mousse and bread, make sure they're at room temperature.
MANGO MOUSSE
SERVES 6
2 medium mangoes, peeled and pitted, flesh chopped (2 generous cups), plus 1/2 mango, peeled and pitted, flesh cut into neat, thin slices (for garnish)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon powdered unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup heavy cream, chilled
Cover the sliced mango garnish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. In a blender or food processor, puree the chopped mango, lime juice, rum, vanilla, sugar, and salt until smooth. Into a fine mesh strainer set over a medium saucepan pour the mango mixture and press it through the strainer with a rubber spatula or the back of a wooden spoon.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the mango mixture and let stand to soften the gelatin, about 5 minutes. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until the gelatin dissolves and bubbles start to appear, about 8 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold about a quarter of the whipped cream into the mango mixture; gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of white remain.
Divide the mixture among 6 serving bowls or glasses, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or as long as 24 hours. To serve, remove plastic wrap, garnish each portion with 2 or 3 of the reserved mango slices, and serve at once.
MANGO BREAD
MAKES 1 LOAF
Butter (for the pan)
Flour (for dusting the pan)
2 medium mangoes, peeled and pitted, flesh chopped small (2 generous cups)
3 eggs, beaten to mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup golden raisins (optional)
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
In a blender or food processor, puree half of the chopped mango. Into a medium bowl, pour the puree, add the eggs, oil, vanilla, and lemon juice, and whisk to combine.
In a large bowl, pour the sugar and add the orange zest. With your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is fragrant and moist. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and ginger, and whisk to combine. With a rubber spatula, fold the mango-egg mixture into the dry ingredients until combined and uniform; do not overmix. Fold in the remaining chopped mango. (If using frozen mango, chop the remaining fruit into smaller cubes or pulse it once or twice in the blender or food processor.) Fold in the raisins, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.
Bake until the loaf is deeply browned (tent loosely with foil if it's browning too much) and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 75 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack, cool for 10 minutes, and then turn out the loaf, returning it to the rack right side up. Let cool to room temperature, slice and serve. Wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature, this bread will keep for up to 3 days.
MANGO LASSI (INDIAN-STYLE MANGO SHAKE)
SERVES 2
1 medium mango, peeled and pitted, flesh chopped (1 generous cup)
3/4 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk
1/2 cup ice-cold water
5 ice cubes
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, or to taste Pinch salt
In a blender, puree all of the ingredients until smooth. Adjust taste with more honey or cardamom, pour into tall glasses, and serve.
KITCHEN AIDE
Mango Wrangling
Mangoes have big flat oval pits that necessitate some minor surgery to liberate the fruit.
1. With a sharp knife, slicing as close as possible to the pit, cut off and separate each "cheek" from the pit. You'll end up with three pieces, the two cheeks and the pit section.
2. Lay the cheeks, peel side down, on a cutting board and cut a crosshatch pattern in the fruit (adjusting size to your needs), slicing down to, but not through, the skin.
3. Pick up the cheeks and turn them inside out by pushing up on the skin, to expose and separate the cubes.
4. Slide a sharp knife along the base of the cubes to separate them from the peel.
FOR SLICES Peel the mango then slice off the cheeks as shown above. Lay the cheeks cut side down on a cutting board and slice to any width you desire. The fruit left around the pit can also be used, though the slices or cubes will not be as neat as those from the cheeks. 