Mango Pudding

               

 Rich and creamy mango pudding made with juicy alphonso mangoes is a favourite summer treat.. If mango is the king of fruits, then alphonsos have been the King of mangoes.. And this variety of mango is the most loved by my family..

                I have made this dessert earlier too, but then it was with the regular variety of mango.. This season I made it a point to use alphonsos for this dessert.. And it finally happened.. And trust me, it has taken the taste of this dessert notches up... The tropically sweet taste, the juicy texture of the mango has made this pudding even more heavenly.. And the alphonsos also imparted a  saffron golden color to the dessert making it all the more fancy and desirable..

                The best part of this pudding is, you dont need any gelatin or agar agar to set this pudding.. Cornflour does the trick here.. It sets really well if you follow the recipe to the T..

Mango Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 cup alphonso mango pulp

2tbsp cornflour

2tbsp sugar

1/2 cup whipped cream

Method: Mix 2tbsp milk in cornflour, make a paste and keep aside.. Heat the remaining milk.. Add the cornflour paste and sugar and stir till it is completely dissolved and thickened.. It should coat the back of the spoon.. Switch off the gas and cool it to room temperature... Whisk in mango pulp and then sieve the mixture to get rid of any fibrous pulp ( as alphonso tends to have some fibre in them) and also to get a smooth custard... Then fold in whipped cream.. Use a piping bag and fill the pudding in individual glasses or bowls.. Chill it for few hours.. Garnish with more mango and mint leaves and serve.. It would be a jiggly wiggly pudding..

Note - I have added a bit less sugar, as we like the dessert mildly sweet.. You can add it according to the taste and preference...

Whipped cream is again optional.. Though I prefer it as it gives the dessert a creaminess and makes it light and fluffy.. If you dont use whipped cream, then it would be a regular mango custard, which also tastes awesome..

Assemble all the ingredients, Heat milk and add cornflour slurry. Cook till it is dissolved and thick.. Cool and add mango pulp..

Seive the mango custard, add in whipped cream. Mix well. Fill in piping bag and fill the glasses..

Chill.. Garnish and serve..

Set pudding.. 

Banana / Mango Oatmeal and Almond Smoothie

This smoothie serves as a powerhouse of energy.. If you have no time for breakfast, then this is the perfect substitute for a healthy, stomach filling and energy providing meal in the morning..

                Make sure your bananas are ripe.. Otherwise the smoothie doesnt taste well, neither you get the sweetness desired.. Incase you have bananas that are ripening fast, freeze them in your refrigerator and pop them out whenever you want to make a smoothie or milkshake..  Its an ideal way to use a ripened and frozen banana..

                I have never been a fan of oats.. I have always preferred cornflakes with my glass of milk rather than oats.. As oats had the tendency of being sticky.. I was bit apprehensive to try this recipe at first..But it was for my two and half year nephew, who is fond of bananas as well as oats.. I made this for him and tasted it myself too.. I fell in love with this smoothie.. The taste was so velvetty with the crunch of almonds in between and the sweetness of bananas.. It was simply superb.. And then there was no looking back.. I make this smoothie very often now.. It also serves the purpose of satisfying my taste buds for something sweet..

                Of late I have tried this recipe with mangoes too.. And it has still tasted very fascinating and delectable, serving the purpose of a whole meal with fruits and oats..

                So basically you can try this smoothie with any fruit you like and enjoy.. 

Banana / Mango, Oatmeal and Almond Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana / mango peeled and chopped

1/4 cup oats

2-3 tbsp almonds chopped

1/4 cup thick yoghurt cold

1/4 cup cold milk

1tbsp honey

Method: Blend all the ingredients with a hand blender till the mixture thickens and pour in a tall glass. Garnish with 2 silvered almonds and 1/2 tsp oatmeal. Serve cold..

Tip - Freeze the fruit for an hour before you make the smoothie.. It would give you a much creamier taste without the need to add in ice..

Mango Cheesecake

Mango!!!! The King Of Fruits... The only fruit which dominated my family when it came to fruits. They dont mind a mango with every meal for the whole of summer. Its like a sweet craving which is being satiated with mango. So, isnt this a perfect reason to make mango flavoured cheesecake for a family which have all the mango people living together.... Relished it till the last bite..!!!!!
             Coming to the cheesecake... For the base i used a cake base against the biscuit layer which is generally used.. We prefer it that way.. And i baked this sponge cake at home a day before in the same loosebottom tin, so that i could get the exact size of the tin.. Alternatively you can even take 1 cup of crumbled cake and mix 2-3tbsp of melted butter. Press this mixture firmly in the grease loosebottom tin and leave it in the refrigerator for 1/2 hr till you make the cheesecake filling.
          I have used only 2tbsp of powdered sugar as my mangoes were really sweet and so i didnt feel the need to add extra sugar.. And my family too loves it this way only.. A bit less sweet.. Incase your mangoes are not that sweet you can add more powdered sugar as per your taste and preference..

Ingredients:

1 9inch round sponge cake cut horizontally in a thin layer

1 box Britannia cream cheese ie 180gms

2tbsp powdered sugar

1/2 cup whipped cream

1 cup alphonso mango pulp

2 alphonso mangoes cut in small pieces

1/2 tbsp veg gelatin

1/8 cup warm water

Method:

For the base: Put the spong cake in the loosebottom tin and leave it in fridge while we make our filling.

For the cheesecake filling: Dissolve gelatin in warm water and mix it with mango puree. Sieve once. Combine the cream cheese and sugar and blend with a hand beater, till it becomes smooth and fluffy. Add mango puree and beat again with beater. Add the whipped cream and mix with light hands. Donot use beater at this stage. Then add mango pieces and  pour this mixture over the cake base and return it to the fridge for 3-4 hours until set. Before serving leave it out of fridge for 10mins so that the sides get loosened and cheesecake can be removed from tin.