Mango Season!

It's mango season in New South Wales.  The mangoes are beautiful, delicious, plentiful, and cheap this time of year. With that much delicious fresh fruit around, I bought a package of twelve.  I had eaten a few of them and still had plenty left to go, so I looked around for something to do besides just having fresh mango for breakfast.  Not that that is a bad thing mind you but a little variety never hurt.  :)

I found a recipe for Mango Syllabub that I thought I would like to try. Since then, I have made it three times and I believe I have it worked out to a fantastic, easy, dessert recipe that even a child would love.

First, you start with the sugar syrup. Place 1/2 cup of water, two whole star anise, and 1/3 cup of white sugar in a heavy bottomed pan on the stove top. Turn the heat to low and stir until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved however, STOP stirring and turn the heat up to medium high. Set a timer for five minutes and let it go to come to a soft boil. When the timer goes off, check the consistency. It should be like thin syrup. If it is, take the star anise out and let it cool. Once cooled, place in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator until cold. You can make this portion a full day ahead of time if necessary.

Next, take six med mangoes and cut them up, removing peel and seed. Place most of the mango, reserving out the flesh of one, in a food processor with the juice from 1/2 of a lemon and pulse until smooth. (If you have never cut a mango or would like a refresher, take a look at this video.)

Once the mango is done, pour 300 ml of whipping cream in a cold (tall) bowl and whip until soft peaks form.  Fold the cold syrup (you made earlier) throughout.

Place a couple of tablespoons of the mixed cream into the bottom of six ramekins, spoon mango puree over that, place the mango pieces in next and top with remaining whipped cream. If you have extra mango pieces, you could top the final product.

Refrigerate for at least an hour and then enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup water

2 star anise

300 ml whipping cream

6 fresh medium to large mangos

juice of 1/2 lemon