Mango Mania

Jackfruit may have made it to the national list as THE fruit but it's the mango that won the hearts of the Bangladeshis in large number. Mango is truly a juicy, sweet blessing from the heavens to be enjoyed in the months of scorching heat. Specially the Bangladeshi variants - Layngra, Heemshagor, Gopalbhog, Kheershapati - are all gorgeously unparalleled in terms of flavour and taste.

Though this beautiful tropical fruit tastes best when eaten cold in its original and exuberant ripened form, it can also be turned into an exotic dessert if one has a little spare time, a wish to turn the summer into a good one along with some left over mangos and an oven. 

So go ahead, crown your meals with cakes, tarts and pies, jeweled with the lustrous yellow of the king of the fruit this summer. 

MANGO UPSIDE DOWN CAKE 

Ingredients

12 tbsp butter, better if unsalted, plus more for buttering the pan

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 large mangoes, sliced into 1/2-inch slices (approximately 2 cups)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence 

1 1/4 cups whole milk

Method

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch cake tin and set aside. Use parchment at the bottom of the pan. 

Combine the brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is bubbling. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it turns light amber, about 10 minutes. 

Carefully pour the butter mixture into the prepared pan and arrange the mango on top, overlapping the slices. 

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and reserve. 

Beat together the granulated sugar and remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla essence. Add half of the flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined. Mix in the milk, then add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.

Gently spoon the batter into the pan over mango and spread evenly. Bake on the middle rack until golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.

Run a thin knife around the inside edge of the pan, then invert a plate over the pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Let the cake cool completely on the plate, at least 20 minutes, then serve at room temperature.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/ recipes/marcela-valladolid/upside-down-mango-cake.html?oc=linkback

MANGO CREAM PIE 

Ingredients

1 cup white flour

½ cup butter

1 egg

250 grams cream cheese, softened

½ cup sifted caster sugar

½ cup whipped cream

2 large mangoes (thinly sliced) about 2 cups

½ cup granulated sugar

2tbspcornstarch

1 tbsp honey 

1 tsp finely shredded orange rind 

1 tsp lemon juice

½ cup finely chopped macadamia nuts

Method

Spread the 1/2 cup nuts in a baking pan and toast in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes or until golden, stirring once or twice. Let cool. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and toasted nuts; cut in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add egg; stir until combine. Form into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8" thickness. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Fold edge under and flute. Prick well. Bake in a 350°F oven about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Keep aside and let cool.        

In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Stir in 1 tbsp of the cream. 

Beat remaining cream until soft peaks form; fold into cheese mixture. Spread in a pie shell. 

Place mango slices, overlapping each slice, in circles. Reserve a few mango slices for garnish.

In a saucepan combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and orange peel. Stir in honey and lemon juice. Cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Spoon mixture evenly over mango slices. Chill 3-6 hours. Garnish with reserved mango slices.

MANGO CHEESECAKE 

Ingredients 

For Crust:

1 and a ½ cup Marie Biscuit crumbs

½ cup sugar

6 tbsp melted butter

For Filling:

3 large ripe mangoes, coarsely chopped

1 and a ½ cup cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs

Method

Crust:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Put the biscuits in a ziplock bag and break them into crumbs with a rolling pin. Empty the bag into a bowl. Stir in sugar and blend with a wooden spatula. Add melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom (not sides) of a lightly buttered 9-inch pan. Bake inside a preheated oven about 12 minutes, until crust is set. Cool completely; refrigerate if needed. Keep the oven heated.         

Filling:

Puree mangoes in processor or blender until smooth. Set aside 2 cups mango puree (preserve any remaining puree to use later or for other purpose). Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs; one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 2 cups mango puree and beat until well blended. Pour filling over crust in pan.        

Bake cake in 180 degree or medium heat, until set and puffed and golden around edges (center may move very slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 25 minutes. Cool cake 1 hour. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. Run a small knife between the cake and sides of the pan to loosen. Remove pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Cut into wedges and serve with freshly sliced mangoes and whipped cream. 

MANGO SEMOLINA CAKE 

Ingredients

1 cup of semolina 

1 cup mango pulp/ puree 

½ cup melted butter 

½ cup sugar

¼ cup milk powder 

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cardamom

¼ cup chopped walnuts/ pecan/ pistachio (optional)

Method

Put the mango pulp into the blender and blend till smooth and creamy.

Preheat the oven and prepare the mix: 

Mix the semolina with sugar, cardamom, milk powder, nuts and baking powder.  

Add melted butter and mix well. Finally, add the mango puree and mix again. Let it sit for about 15 minutes or until the mango pulp is absorbed by the semolina.

Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes in medium heat, about 180 degree. Place it in the middle rack while baking to get that beautiful, rich yellow color; placing the cake on the upper or lower rack may brown the cake and leave raw semolina in the middle. Be careful and keep a close watch after 25 minutes.

Check with a knife to see if properly baked. If the knife comes out clean, remove from oven immediately. If kept in the oven for a longer time, the cake will become hard especially on the top.

Allow to cool completely and then cut into thick slices, about 1.5 cm, and serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream. 

Photo: Collected