Every season brings out the nature’s select fruits and/or vegetables, like Pumpkins for Fall, Asparagus for Spring and the Mango for Summer!

In it’s various shapes and colors – green, yellow and orange, mango attracts foodshoppers all over the world… and me too! It usually jumps into my cart during the months of May-September, when it’s in its best form.

The supermarkets around me usually have a few North American mango varieties – Tommy Atkins, Keitt, Haden from Florida or the Ataulfo mangoes from Mexico and Central South America. My husband and daughter love to eat those, but I am a little bit of a picky eater in this case. For me, its gotto be the “Ratnagiri Alphonso” from my homeland, Maharashtra!

This year, we finally got hold of a dozen of the indigenous fruit at a local Indian market and enjoyed it’s out-of-the-world taste after many years of missing the season back home!

Summer’s long gone but the “mango madness” in my house just got over! It all started in June this year with the green mango, followed by a variety of sweet and savory concoctions using the sweet, succulent ripe fruit of the season – the ‘real’ Mango. Of course, we ate most of the fruit straight up, biting in to the vibrant, golden flesh underneath the multi-colored skins and the pulp running down our fingers and hands. But I managed to save some for my kitchen experiements

So join me and experience the mango madness yourself!

Mango Guacamole

Cool, sweet jalepeño-infused guacamole is one of the most delicious and refreshing Mexican dips thats perfect for snack or appetizer… And then if you add some mango to it, it takes it to a whole new level!

To make mango guacamole, simply mix in some mango chunks to my basic recipe. Try making this simple and colorful guacamole and enjoy it’s melt-in-the-mouth taste with tortilla chips.

…

Chipotle Chicken Panini with Avocado and Mango

Sweet-tart mango and cool-creamy avocado should be perfect to balance the spicy heat of chipotle chilies?! This was my thought process behind creating this delicious panini for lunch one weekend. My Southwestern-style panini is made  by grilling two slices of bread with shredded chicken and chipotle chillies in adobo sauce along with mango and avocado slices in between. In just 5 mins on each side, the panini is off the screaming hot grill pan and on to your plate.  Ready for lunch?!

Makes 4 paninis

1 tbsp oil

½ yellow onion, sliced

1 small garlic clove, minced

½ can of Chipotle Chillies in Adobo Sauce (use the sauce and dice the chillies)

1 cup shredded cooked chicken (store-bought Rotisserie or oven-roasted at home)

1 baguette, cut into 8-10 slices of ½ inch thickness (or individual panini rolls)

mayonaise (optional)

butter or olive oil

1 ripe mango, sliced, pitted and skin removed

1 ripe avocado, sliced, pitted and skin removed

½ lime (to prevent avocado from darkening)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a small frying pan and add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and sauté for a couple of mins, making them sweat a little. Stir in the chipotle chillies with the adobo sauce and mix well.

Continue heating the sauce for another min or so and then remove from heat. Mix in the shredded chicken and set aside.

Preheat the grill pan on medium-high heat.

For each panini sandwich: Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise inside the bottom slice of bread. Spread the chipotle chilli sauce with chicken and then lay 1-2 slices of mango and avocado and close the sandwich with the other slice of bread. Brush olive oil or spread butter on to the top outer side of the sandwich. Grill the sandwich with the buttered side down for 4-5 minutes. While the bottom side grills, butter the other side of the panini and flip over for 4-5 mins on this side so that both the sides of the bread are toasted with nice golden grill marks.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

…

Mango Mousse

Our obsession with tropical fruit continued through the end of the Summer, almost going into Fall. I decided to put an end to the madness by making a luscious creamy mousse with the last batch of mangoes I had picked up at the supermarket.

Mangoes process well into smooth, creamy filling for desserts like this incredibly soft and fluffy mango mousse. This is a basic recipe, made with mango puree folded into whipped cream with a bit of gelatin. The top layer is simple mango jello that holds the berries in place and prevents the mousse from falling inside. The dessert sets up over a few hours in the refrigerator and has a soft and silky texture that melts in your mouth!

Makes 4 individual servings of mango mousse, about ¾ cup each

Mango Mousse

2 cups of mango slices (about 4 mangoes)

¼ cup simple syrup

¼ cup heavy cream (for mango purée)

scant ¼ cup Triple Sec (or any other Orange liqueur)

½ tbsp (½ pkt) unflavored gelatin powder (Knox)

½ cup heavy cream (for whipping and folding into the mousse)

Mango Jello Topping (optional)

½ cup clear mango juice (such as Frooti or Mazaa)

½ tbsp (½ pkt) unflavored gelatin powder (Knox)

you choice of berries, about 4-6 per dessert cup

Alternatively, use mango flavored gelatin

Mango Mousse

Purée the mango slices, simple syrup and heavy cream together in a food processor. Strain and keep aside.

Sprinkle gelatin over the orange liqueur in a heat proof glass bowl and let it soften for about 10 mins. In the meantime, take about ½ cup water in a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place the bowl on top of the simmering water and stir continuously till the gelatin dissolves completely. Let it cool down and then mix it well with the mango purée.

Whip the ½ cup of heavy cream till it forms soft peaks (kinda like meringue). Add it to the mango-gelatin mixture and gently fold the whipped cream.

Pour into dessert cups and set it in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Mango Jello Topping (optional)

Sprinkle the gelatin on to the mango juice in in a heat-proof bowl and often for ten minutes. Place it over a small saucepan with simmering water. and stir continuously so that the gelatin dissolves completely. As soon as the gelatin melts, the solution will become clear. Let it cool down to room temperature.

Remove the mousse from the fridge and top it with the berries. Pour the mango jello over the mousse and berries and return to referigerator for a couple more hours. Serve chilled.

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