Welcome to Saturday’s Mystery Dish!  Today’s mystery ingredient:  Mango

Now you may wonder what’s so mysterious about mango.  Nothing really, save for the fact I’ve never cooked with it.  So my weekly assignment was to use an unfamiliar ingredient to prepare an unfamiliar dish.  The first week I cooked with Corn Shucks, the second week Chayote, (And loved it…I have one in my fridge now) and last week the tamaltillo.  It’s been a fun ride–these mystery dishes, this week was no different.

The mango is native to South and Southeast Asia.  It is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines.  The mango tree, is long lived and some species can produce fruit for over 300 years.

Mangoes were first imported to the American colonies during the 17th century.  They had to be pickled before their journey because of no refrigeration.  As a result, by the 18th century,  the phrase “to pickle” became synonymous with “mango.”

Mangoes average around 60 calories each and are rich in folate and vitamin C.

The recipe I used:

Mango Orange Mousse

Ingredients:

1 Mango

1 Orange

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Orange zest

1 tbsp. Honey

1 tsp. Vanilla Flavoring

Directions: 

1. Peel and chop Mango
2. Segment orange by removing peel and cutting away pith
3. Combine mango, orange, zest, honey and  puree until smooth
4. Beat whipping cream and vanilla flavoring until stiff peaks form
5. Fold in mango/orange puree into whipped cream
6. Scoop mousse into serving bowls and chill until set.  (about 3 hours)(I put mine in the freezer so I could eat it sooner.)
7. Garnish with orange slice and mint if desired.

My mousse turned out very light and fluffy and tasted good; however, I was a little “light-handed” with the orange zest.  Next time, in order to add more flavor, I’ll definitely use my “heavy” hand.

Mango/Orange Mousse

First I peeled my beautiful mango.

Sliced the mango–getting it ready for the NutriBullet.

The mango is in the NutriBullet—preparing the orange.

Segmented my orange by cutting away the  membrane and bitter pith.

Honey goes into the NutriBullet with mango, orange, orange zest and then pureed.

Whip heavy cream and vanilla until cream forms stiff peaks.

The finished dish.