Summers come, and one fruit that always find place on our dining table and in our hearts is fresh juicy ripe alphonsoes. We really do not know any other fruit holding so much importance in our lives or in our house. What’s not to love about them? From peeling them to licking them down our fingers and elbows, reaching to the blender to make a smoothie or enjoying aam ras with puranpolis, everything is worth it! Bargaining a middle aged vendor pulling his cart for a kilo of mangoes, pulling apart chapatis to small bites and dipping it right inside the end of a bowl of mango puree to get the maximum aam ras on rotis (chapatis) and fingers, stealing a couple of them from a box in the kitchen to enjoy with cousins in the afternoon on a staircase are all amazing experiences that come back every season in form of memories. My husband also has some stories to tell from his childhood which I am comeplled to listen to – year after year. Needless to say, I don’t complain…. He remembers his elders buying mangoes only from one old white bearded vendor who repeatedly came over to their shop in Bombay each day of the summer for years to sell boxes of Ratnagiri alphonsoes.
Though we love mangoes in any form, our most favorite fruit dessert is Mango Cream or Mango Fool which invariably dominates our house or is bought from a Bombay joint in Dubai’s Al Karama ,Haji Ali Juice Centre, to polish off the weekend meal. I never understood why a dessert as rich and pure as this is ever called fool. I recently read on a website that explains why it is called so -”the name of this gossamer dessert comes from the French word foulé meaning pressed or crushed, and refers to the combination of crushed fruits and thick cream. It is a dish that is sublime in its simplicity.” Interesting. But I’d still not prefer calling it a fool, for me this dessert will always be a mango cream, full of goodness that can make anyone go weak on a knee.
And this is what food blog does to you. Every rich food you spot and brain automatically start brimming with ideas that can be presented on the table for family and friends to enjoy. Soon after our trip to Al Aweer fruits and vegetable market for buying mangoes, I knew next on my agenda will be to make a scrumptious dessert of mango and cream. Scorching sun and heat is just an excuse to come up with something as delicious as this.
If you are looking for a soul filling heavenly delight on those hot summery days, then this is the one. Trust me! And it is so simple to prepare – just a couple of ingredients, some mixing and your yummilicious bowl of rich luscious dessert is ready.
Recipe for Mango Cream.
Ingredients -
Serves 4
- Mango puree – 2 cups
- Heavy whipping cream – 1 cup
- Diced mangoes – 1 cup or more
- Powdered Sugar – 2 tbsp or more (my mangoes were very sweet so add depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
Method-
Whip the cream with about 2tbsps of sugar until stiff peaks form. Chill in the refrigerator. Peel the mangoes and cut not too close to the seed. Puree them in a blender. Gently fold the mango puree and some diced mangoes into the cream. Pour into the serving glasses or bowls and chill atleast for an hour before serving. You can top it with chunks of mangoes, cream or nuts but I like it simple and that’s how I serve. But you can go ahead and try different variations; to impress your family or guests.