A native of India and south-east Asia, the mango is synonymous with summer and its plump, ripe, highly perfumed fruit are must-includes on many festive-season menus. The mango season extends from October through to March. Skin colour is no indication of ripeness and the diff erent varieties can range in colour from green to bright yellow and crimson. The most common variety in Australia is the Bowen or Kensington Pride; the Keitt, R2E2 and the red-skinned Calypso are other popular varieties. Green mango is common in south-east Asian salads and snacks as its tart flavour blends well with the salty and sweet fl avours of the Thai, Lao and Vietnamese kitchens.
Mangoes go with: Other tropical fruit such as lychees, star fruit (carambola), passionfruit, bananas, pawpaw and papaya, chilli, seafood and citrus liqueur.
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Recipes & styling Sue Stubbs
Photography Ken Brass
Mango daiquiri
Serves 4
2 cups fresh mango fl esh, chopped
½ cup Malibu Caribbean rum
¼ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons sugar syrup (see note)
Pinch salt
1 bottle sparkling white wine or
sparkling mineral water
Mint sprig to garnish.
Combine the mango, rum, lime juice, sugar syrup and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Depending on the sweetness of the mangos, you may need to add more sugar syrup. If you do add more syrup, blend again and continue to taste test until you are happy with the flavour. Freeze the mixture in a freezer-proof container overnight.
To serve: Place frozen mango mixture in an ice shaver or scrape with a fork to make shavings. Half fill chilled glasses with iced mango mixture and add champagne or mineral water. Stir to combine. Top up with extra frozen shaved mango, garnish with a sprig of mint.
Note: To make sugar syrup, combine one cup caster sugar and one cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring for five minutes or until sugar dissolves.
Mango & amaretti biscotti trifle
Serves 6-8
This is a modern twist on the good old-fashioned trifle.
1 sachet gelatine powder (10 grams)
3 cups clear, unsweetened apple juice
¼ cup caster sugar
2 large mangos, sliced
200g amaretti biscotti, broken into
bite-sized pieces
600ml cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
Extra mango slices and toasted
almond flakes, to garnish
To make the apple jelly, place the gelatine and half cup apple juice in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for five minutes. Place the remaining apple juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for one minute. Remove from the heat, add the gelatine mixture and stir to combine. Set aside to cool. Arrange the mango slices in the base of a four-litre-capacity glass bowl and pour over jelly mixture. Refrigerate for three hours or until set. To assemble, evenly spread broken biscotti pieces over the top of the set jelly. Whip the cream and vanilla paste together until stiff, layer over the biscotti. Top with mango slices and toasted almond flakes.
Mango bombe
Serves 8
2 cups mango fl esh, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch salt
120g caster sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 -litre vanilla ice-cream,
softened (see note)
4 tablespoons Bacardi white rum
½ cup glace ginger, chopped
1 10g unsalted macadamia nuts,
lightly roasted and roughly chopped
To make the sorbet, process the mango, lemon juice and salt until smooth. Push the puree through a sieve into a bowl, set aside. Heat sugar and water in saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil without stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour the syrup into the mango puree and mix until combined. Refrigerate for one hour. If using an ice-cream machine, churn the mixture in the machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively, freeze the mixture in a freezer-proof container, uncovered, for three hours. Place mixture into a food processor and beat well to break down the ice crystals. Return to the freezer and freeze for a further four hours. Cover the container with a lid for storing until required. Lightly oil and freezer wrap line a three-litre metal basin or pudding mould.
Chill until required. Soften the sorbet by letting it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Using a large spoon, evenly pack the base and up the sides of the chilled basin. If the sorbet starts to slide around, freeze it for 10 minutes before continuing. Cover sorbet-lined basin with freezer wrap and freeze until required. Fold together the softened ice-cream, rum, ginger and macadamia nuts. Spoon into the sorbetlined basin and level the surface. Cover with freezer wrap and freeze overnight. To serve, remove from the freezer and stand for 10 to 15 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate. If it is difficult to unmould, smooth over the basin with a hot damp cloth.
Note: If you would prefer to use homemade ice-cream, follow the directions for the mango & passion fruit ice-cream, omitting the fruit.
Mango and Passionfruit Ice-cream
Makes 2-litres
1½ cups milk
1½ cups cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
6 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
2 cups fresh mango flesh, chopped
½ cup passionfruit pulp
(4-6 passionfruit)
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla paste in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, then whisk in the milk mixture. Return to clean saucepan and stir constantly over low heat with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens. This will take five to 10 minutes. To test, run a finger across the back of the spoon; if it leaves a clear line, the custard is ready. Do not boil. Pour the custard into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into a metal container, cover the surface with freezer wrap and freeze for two hours or until firm. Place the ice-cream into a food processor and beat, in batches, until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add the mango and passion fruit pulp. Mix well to combine. Return to metal container and freeze again. Repeat this step twice more before transferring to a storage container. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to stop crystals forming, then a lid.
To serve, remove from the freezer and leave at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften slightly.
