Mango Puree

In the mood for a cold refreshing dessert while the heat is still on? Here's a little something we put together for an ice cream social the other week when mangos were on sale at Smith's for 50 cents a piece.

This one is mostly fresh fruit with just a bit of dairy, so it's both tasty and more on the healthy side. For some amazing mango puree, you'll need:

• 5 – 6 mangos, ripe
• 1 lime
• 2 egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 – 7 tbsp. heavy whipping cream (sorry, half and half won't cut it here)

To start this off, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the mangos. In the picture below, you can clearly see the differing levels of ripeness - the ones at the top are the most dark in color and are much softer, while the ones at the bottom are lighter and more firm.

We're going to set aside two of the mangos to dice and use as a topping, so you'll probably want to go with the firmer ones there. If your mangos aren't ripe at all though, they won't be a pleasant texture to eat whole, so in that case you'll want to puree the hardest mangos.

We simply roughly chop 4 or 5 of the mangos and run them through a food processor for a few seconds - there's nothing added at this point, and this puree alone is already tasty and could go in any number of dishes or used as a side or topping.

We're going to add in just a bit of acid and a countering flavor by squeezing in some fresh lime juice - if you want less acidity and more mango, omit entirely or use less lime.

Take your remaining 1 -2 mangos that weren't pureed and dice them into large squares. You can squeeze lime over those as well if you want, then set those aside in the fridge as you won't need them till later.

Now it's time to get the dairy elements going in a separate bowl!

To start, we're whipping just the egg whites and sugar until stiff, then add in around six tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and continue to beat until peaks form.

Fold the cream mixture into the mango puree and then set it in the refrigerator. If you wait 3 - 4 hours you have something like a sorbet that's very tasty on its own or as a desert topping, but if you wait overnight it will set up into a more solid form like a mousse. Throw some of the diced mango in a bowl and top with the puree to serve.

While good on its own, mix in some muesli or granola for a delicious and healthy breakfast the next morning.