Velvety and refreshing, this mango mousse recipe is a favourite with dessert chef Daoyi Xia, from Cosmo Restaurant, in London Road, Derby.
A COOLING mousse is the perfect summer dessert, cleansing those palates after a scrumptious barbecue feast in the garden.
And what better way to get one of your five-a-day than in the form of this smooth mango mousse?
But you need to be prepared, and plan ahead. You can't just whip up a mango mousse – or any mousse – in 10 minutes after the main course. It needs to go in the fridge for at least six hours before serving to make sure it's completely set. And overnight would be even better.
Mangoes grow in hot climates, predominately south east Asia and India, and areas that are frost free. So don't try growing them in your garden– they won't be very successful.
The fruits have many uses – both savoury and sweet and we use them in abundance at Cosmo Restaurant for several different dishes.
Unripe mangoes are very sour and can be used in chutneys and pickles. And they can also be eaten on their own with salt, chilli and soy sauce but they are most frequently used in this country as a sweet dish, in fruit salads, juices, ice lollies, or as dried fruit in cereal or granola.
Mangoes are a hard-fleshed fruit with a stone in the centre, so these are the first things that have to go when preparing any dish.
To create the puree needed for the mousse, take four big mangoes and peel and stone them, getting as much flesh off the stone as possible – we don't want anything to be wasted.
Chop them up into small chunks, and then steam on the hob, or in an electric steamer for around five minutes – until you are able to mash them with a fork.
The steamed mangoes then need to be blended into a smooth puree in a food processor, adding a little bit of water if needed.
Once you've got your puree, it's time to get started with making the mousse. You might think it's a lot of effort for one dessert – but that's the hard bit done.
The rest is easy, and it'll all be worth it in the end when you're sipping a cocktail in the evening sun, enjoying a refreshing, fruity dessert.
INGREDIENTS
300g mango, peeled, stoned and cut into small chunks
250ml thick fresh cream
30g castor sugar
2 tablespoons gelatin, dissolved in two tablespoons warm water
Method
1. Whip the cream and sugar until light and fluffy and soft peaks form.
2. Mix the mango puree in with the dissolved gelatin.
3. Fold the mango mix into the cream and sugar.
4. Pour the mixture into individual dessert cups and refrigerate for at least six to eight hours – or until set completely.
TIP
We recommend whipping the cream and sugar together with an electric whisk, like we do at Cosmo. If you don't have the luxury of an electric one, make sure your bowl is high sided and get going. It's hard work whisking cream and sugar together by hand; you'll need some stamina. But that just means you'll have earned the dessert once it's ready...
