Hot, hazy summers and sweet, juicy mangoes, they came together— that made the heat bearable. At least, that’s what I thought growing up in India, where mango is considered ‘The King of Fruit’. In the summer of 2006 on a trip to India, President George W. Bush, having just tasted an alphonso mango, had famously quipped, “That is one hell of a fruit”. No quibbles there.

Mangoes are now available almost everywhere in the US. They are grown in the south, mainly in warm, humid Florida, and also imported from Mexico and other Central American countries. The number of mangophiles is rapidly increasing with the spread of the diaspora from mango-loving tropical lands. It can be eaten alone, in a salad or a chaat.

With ice cream, it becomes a delectable, tailor-made, summer dessert. In this post I describe the mangoes, the ice creams, the liqueur and how the dish was put together. Try it this summer. You will love it.

The Mango

To start, you need a nice, ripe mango. It is a finicky fruit. There is an optimal ripeness when it tastes the best. Under-ripe, it is hard and sour. Over-ripe, it becomes mushy. Knowing when it is just right is an art, perfected with time and practice. Later in this post, I will describe how we achieve this and our method of ripening and storing the mangoes.

Peel the skin and cut the flesh into bite-size pieces. There is a large pit in the center that I keep aside for later. I keep the pieces in the refrigerator for an hour to chill.

Ice creams

Next the ice creams. Here, I have used these three. You can experiment with others according to your taste. First, a plain vanilla ice cream. We prefer Turkey Hill, but there are many other good ones. Next, a mango ice cream. Here we use Baskin Robbins Triple Mango. Mango sorbet from Haagen Dazs or Talenti also go well.

Finally, Reena’s Kesar (saffron) Pista (pistachio) ice cream which we buy from an Indian store (usually the same place where we buy our mangoes). I now have three ice creams of different flavors and textures that nicely complement each other and the mango.

The Liqueur

I sometimes have a liqueur to go with dessert. Today I chose a Somrus Chai cream liqueur for its saffron flavor which should pair well with the saffron pista ice cream. It did.

Incidentally, Somrus is referred to as the ‘Nectar of the Gods’ in ancient Sanskrit literature. How apt. It is a good liqueur made from cream, handcrafted rum, nuts and spices. Delicious!

There is also a Somrus mango cream liqueur which would be a great accompaniment. If you are in the mood for something more ‘spirited’, there are mango schnapps (Hiram Walker), and several mango flavored vodkas (Ciroc and New Amsterdam). These are available in most liquor stores. My favorite go to place is the Fine Wine and Good Spirits store in my neighborhood.

Arrange the mango pieces in a chilled bowl and put a scoop of each ice cream around them. Pour out the liqueur. What could be simpler, better?

Sit out. Dig in. Sip away.

Enjoy!

Mango Lore

In India, particularly northern India, mango is considered the “King of Fruit”. There are many varieties; notable among them langra, alphonso, himsagar, chausa and dasheri, to name just a few. Among these, alphonso and langra stand out. People have tried growing them in the US, but they never took root. Hybrids of these were more successful. But home-grown cultivars like Hayden and Kent are quite good. We love them.

Ripening and Storing Mangoes

We buy our mangoes from local Indian stores (e.g., Patel Brothers or Apna Bazar) where boxes of different varieties are available throughout the summer. Demand is high and the turnover, rapid. We favor the Kent variety.

We buy two boxes (about nine in each) at a time. We pick one box that is greener (less ripe) than the other, which is redder and riper. This is so that we can plan for them to ripen at different times as explained below.

At home, we keep them at room temperature in a well-lighted area. In a few days they begin to ripen, some earlier than others. The color changes gradually from green to a rosy blush, then to deeper shades of orange and red. Sometimes a bead of sticky sap starts to ooze from the stalk where the fruit was attached to the branch. You will also notice a delicious, sweet aroma which intensifies over time. You will not forget that scent. Finally, the most important parameter—feel the mango. Hold it in your hand and squeeze it gently. It should be firm but with a slight give. Too soft and the mango becomes mushy, over-ripe. So, color, aroma and feel—will tell you that the mango is ready to eat. We then put it in the fridge where the cold temperature slows down the ripening process. We have kept them for up to two weeks without any noticeable loss in quality.

Here is why we follow the protocol above. A large, ripe mango is very sweet with a high sugar content. So, mindful of our health, my wife and I limit ourselves to sharing one per day. Therefore, we need to spread out and control the ripening process to have a supply of ready-to-eat mangoes over the summer.

If you are having a big party, you can buy boxes of ripe or near-ripe mangoes. Cut and serve them with ice cream as I have described, and they will be an instant hit. Squeeze out the juice from any remaining pieces and whatever is left attached to the pit. Add it to punches, daiquiris and lassis.

Just remember these three when choosing mangoes: color, smell and feel.

Welcome to the growing number of dedicated mango cognoscente.