SA’s favourite festive desserts…but with an exotic mango twist!

If it’s summer, it means it’s officially mango season in South Africa. It’s also officially the holidays, which is great timing because mangoes are the ultimate holiday food.

But let’s be honest, when it comes to the festive feast, everyone might love the main course but secretly they’re all just waiting for dessert! This year add a touch of the tropics to your festive dessert table and take your sweet treats to the next level with exotic mangoes.

In South Africa, homegrown mangoes are available from December until the end of April. The medium to large sized Tommy Atkins mangoes arrive first, followed by the small, stringless Sensation mangoes, with the medium to large Kent and Keitt rounding off the season.

Mangoes are high in vitamins A and C, biotin and the mineral potassium, and a source of vitamins B1 and B6. They’re free from fat, sodium and cholesterol.

So, get your hands on the first fruits of the season and get your mango motivation going!

For more Mmmmm…mango recipes visit www.mango.co.za, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram.

Sweet favourites with a mango twist

Mango Crème Brûlée

Serves 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes + cooling

Ingredients:

• 375 ml (1½ cups) very ripe mango, peeled and cubed
• 500 ml (2 cups) cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 7.5 ml (½ tbsp) vanilla essence
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) castor sugar + extra

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Blitz the mango until smooth. Heat the purée in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring for about 8 minutes or until reduced by half.
2. Stir the cream into the mango and heat to just before boiling point.
3. Beat the yolks, vanilla and sugar together. Slowly pour the hot mango mixture into the egg mixture, while whisking constantly. Strain through a sieve. Divide the mixture evenly between 6 x 125 ml (½ cup) flat baking dishes.
4. Place the dishes in a deep baking tray. Place in the oven and carefully fill the tray with boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the dishes.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the outsides are just set and the insides still wobbly when given a light shake. Take the dishes out of the tray and cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to cool completely. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
6. When ready to serve, sprinkle a thin layer of extra sugar on top of each crème brûlée. Use a blowtorch to caramelise the sugar.

Optional: Garnish the brûlées with mango roses and mint. Serve with shortbread.

Tip: The brûlées can also be baked in traditional deep 125 ml (½ cup) ramekins. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Microwave Mango and Granadilla Cheesecake

Serves 12

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes + cooling

Ingredients:

• 200 g packet Tennis biscuits
• 80 g butter, melted
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) golden syrup (optional)
• 1 L tub (4 cups) double cream granadilla and mango yoghurt
• 385 g tin condensed milk
• 1 mango, peeled
• 2 granadillas, cut in half

Method:

1. Blitz the biscuits until fine. Blitz in the butter and syrup, if using, until it comes together. Press into the base of a deep 25 cm microwave safe dish.
2. Stir together the yoghurt and condensed milk. Pour over the biscuit base.
3. Microwave for about 8 minutes or until almost set. Cool.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Cut the cheeks off the mango, close to the pip. Thinly slice each cheek through the width. Pack large slices from the outside followed by smaller slices towards the inside to create a large mango flower. Spoon some of the granadilla over and serve with the rest.

Coconut and Mango Malva Pudding

Serves 8

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes + cooling

Ingredients:

FOR THE PUDDING

• 250 ml (1 cup) sugar
• 60 g soft butter
• 60 ml (¼ cup) mango pulp
• 125 ml (½ cup) desiccated coconut
• 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk
• 10 ml (2 tsp) white vinegar
• 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
• 250 ml (1 cup) cake flour
• 5 ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt

FOR THE SAUCE

• 60 g butter
• 125 ml (½ cup) sugar
• 125 ml (½ cup) coconut milk
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) mango purée 2.5 ml (½ tsp) vanilla or coconut essence
• Squeeze lemon juice, to taste

TO SERVE

• 1 mango, peeled
• 1.8 L tub mango or vanilla ice cream
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) coconut shavings, toasted
• Mint leaves, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. For the pudding, preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 1.8 L (7 cups) baking dish with cooking spray. Cream the sugar, butter and mango until pale. Beat in the desiccated coconut.
2. Mix together the coconut milk, vinegar and vanilla. Sift together the flour, bicarb and salt. Stir the milk and flour mixtures alternating into the mango mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes or until a testing skewer comes out clean.
3. For the sauce, just before the pudding is done baking, heat the butter, sugar and coconut milk on medium high, stirring for about 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil.
4. Take off the heat and stir in the mango purée, essence and lemon juice. Pour the hot sauce over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven. Poke all over with a skewer for the sauce to soak in. Allow to stand for 20 minutes.
5. To serve, use a vegetable peeler to cut the mango into ribbons. Garnish the pudding with this. Serve with ice cream, coconut shavings and mint, if you like.

Note: This is an egg free malva pudding. Mango serves as an egg replacement in this recipe.

ALL images supplied by the South African Mango Growers’ Association.