Thank You to Chowhound and another question - Mangos

[JerryMe]

Dear SO inherited a huge garbage bag full of pomegranates and we were in a quandry as to how to reap this benefit. I searched Chowhound and got a HUGE hit of not only how to harvest them (I don't think that's the proper term as they were already off the tree, but how to get those buggers out of their shell) AND utilize them! Had pom juice (w/ Stoli's) and mini cheesecakes w/ pom sauce for T-Day. BIG hit! Hat's off to Chow! SO was VERY impressed. . . as was I. Thank you all!

I'm now running into a possible / probable mango fest. I've never eaten them, used them, etc. Can anyone educate me?

[just_M]

I save the pits and use them when brewing tea for iced tea or in sangria.

[HillJ]

http://www.monicabhide.com/my_weblog/...

Doesn't this rice pudding & mango look fantastic! Yum!

[smartie]

I had a glut all summer (lucky me) - we made mango martinis and margaritas, smoothies, chicken curry with mango pieces cooked in towards the end. We cut mangos and froze the pieces and carried on making more of the above.

There is no such thing as too many mangos and I can't wait for next June-Oct when my neighbourhood is groaning with fruit. All I had to do was go out each morning with a plastic bag and pick what I needed for the day while walking my dogs. We also had lychees and little bananas growing and also papaya (which I personally don't like).

[buttertart]

Jealous jealous - love mangoes and adore lychees, the queen of fruit.

[normalheightsfoodie]

I like to take the pom juice and put it on Bryers vanilla bean, it is like a creamsicle, except with Pom juice.

I like to make mango salsa or just eat it plain.

Mango MArgaritas are good,

[starbucksbrew]

Oh man, my favorite mango dish is the mango ice cream they serve at Indian restaurants. I'm sure something similar can be done at home, although I (for some strange reason) haven't done that myself (probably b/c we go to Indian restaurants so often, I don't have to) -- it can be anything from blending mango with boxed vanilla ice cream, to adding mango in a homemade vanilla ice cream. Mango yogurt shakes are wonderful and refreshing too.

Here is my fave mango salsa recipe (mix and refrigerate, it's best the 2nd and 3rd days after the flavors blend):
10 oz chopped mango
10 oz can black beans, drained
1 carton fresh salsa from the deli/produce section, or homemade
Chopped fresh cilantro (as much as you like)

[HillJ]

Mango salsa, mango goes really well with grilled fish, mango and sticky rice, mango pudding, mango sorbet...JerryMe-you're a lucky CH!

[LauraGrace]

Mangoes freeze better than almost any other fruit, imo. Or make a syrup to mix into cocktails. You can dehydrate them too, or make fruit leather.

I wonder about a mango/citrus marmalade. It sounds delicious, but I've never tried it.

[chef chicklet]

Oh they certainly do! I am always not getting around to using them timely and I clean the fruit of the pit, and then freeze it. I've pureed the fruit and done that too. Out of habit I splash a little lemon or lime juice in the mix to keep (I think) the fruit from darkening). But aside from that you can make a mango cheese cake, or sorbet, gelato, and yes for cocktails like daquiris or margaritas. They have a unique flavor that is just wonderful.
I make this very simple dessert called crazy coconut pie. It's simply a custard that's baked like a pie, without a crust (the coconut forms that). Anyway, I buy very a very finely grated coconut in the Indian food section, and I mix that into the custard. I find the other stuff that's processed with sugar and additives, too sweet. So. I mix it with the custard and then toast a little for the top. It's delicious, everyone loves it. I like to serve it with whipped cream. Next time, I'm mixing in some mango and baking it, that sounds over the top doesn't it! Mango and coconut, now that's a match!

[missmasala]

wow, that sounds great, and i have extra dried grated coconut from the indian store to use up. it's taking up too much room in my freezer.

can you post your recipe?

thanks!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Among others, I've been making apple -mango sauce/compote due to having too many mangoes. Cubed fruit plus sugar and cinnamon and bit of rum. Very good with homemade yogurt or ice cream or as a topping for banana bread.

[bushwickgirl]

"too many mangoes"-what a dilemma! Wish I was so lucky! God bless ya!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Today I made a maracuya (passion fruit, too many as well) sauce for crepes and ice cream. Just the seedy pulp and sugar cooked down a bit. Have you done this before?

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, I worked in a high-end Mexican restaurant 18 years ago in NYC and we made a maracuya mousse, very simple, the puree with whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk. I don't know if it was particularly Mexican, but it sure was good.

[Cheese Boy]

Yes, Sam has the right idea ... try Mango ice cream. Then if you want mango overload, try this with some fresh mango smothered in perhaps a mango-rum-flavored-whipped-cream --> http://www.beveragewarehouse.com/imag...

[buttertart]

One caution: if you've ever had poison ivy or have a problem with contact allergies, be very careful when you're peeling the mangoes - they are botanically related to poison ivy and you can have an allergic reaction to the oil in the peel. Been there, had the reaction, not pleasant (my face swelled up like mad). I can eat the fruit if someone else prepares it, or I use plastic gloves to do so and make sure the peel never comes in contact with the cut flesh of the fruit or mine own.

[bushwickgirl]

Now that's interesting, buttertart. I had a bad case of PI when I was a kid and had it for subsequent years, but never experienced any allergic reations with mango. Maybe I should buy them already done up (sliced and peeled mango vendors are rampant in NYC.)

JerryMe, here's a link with many mango recipes and some mango info:
http://freshmangos.com/mangorecipes/i...

[buttertart]

I suppose it all depends on your individual metabolism/sensitivities. I had it several times as a kid - severely once - and really reacted to mangoes. Which I of course adore. Good thing I can conscript my husband into handling them for me!

[blue room]

Great idea to bring up the allergy problem, buttertart! As a kid in Hawaii I saw a neighbor girl swell and redden terribly for 3-4 days from a mango reaction! Nice to know that the oil in the skin is the problem, not the (luscious) flesh.

Google to learn and see how to cube-cut a mango to make it easy to handle, they can be stringy. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgur...

[buttertart]

That's how I got the reaction - cutting one like that, holding onto the peel and scarfing up the pulp from it. And a damn fine mango it was, too (a Taiwan tudi mangguo - pale green skin, luscious orange flesh).

[ipsedixit]

You've never had a mango??

Well, to begin with, it's a fruit. Just peel and eat. There's a large oblong football shaped seed in the middle. Don't eat that.

Aside from eating it straight up, you can juice it, chop it up to make salsa, blend with other fruits (strawberries, papaya, kiwi, apples, oranges, etc.) to make a fruit shake or smoothie, slice it to make salad, and you can also puree it to make a gazpacho.

Enjoy your mango bounty ...