Mango Fool

A Mango Fool - that's me! I am fool for mangoes!

I always say that the only things that make the Chennai summer bearable, are the mangoes and watermelons. I have been making batch after batch of watermelon juices & drinks, but never thought of taking pictures. Silly me. As for mangoes, we've been mostly just devouring the fruit. Though our mangoes don't have bright orange flesh, like I've often seen in pictures, they are syrupy sweet and juicy and absolutely to die for!

The heat here is unbelievable. It is really, really hot and it seems almost impossible to survive without air conditioning - and yet most people in this city do! I am so grateful to God today for a roof over my head and for being able to afford air conditioning. We are so blessed & I am reminded of that today!

One dessert I love to make during mango season, is Mango Fool. Out of curiosity, I looked up 'fool' on Wikipedia. Not 'fool' the person(s), but 'fool' the dessert. According to Wikipedia, some experts think that the name is derived from the French verb 'fouler', which means 'to crush' or 'to press'. Makes sense. But in my humble opinion, I think this dessert is called a fool, because even a fool could make it. It is such a breeze to make and absolutely delicious and refreshing to eat! The mangoes were amazing in flavor and sweetness, and I did not need to add anything to improve the flavor.

You can make a fool out of several kinds of fruit, but harder fruits would need to be cooked before they are pureed.

Mango Fool

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

2 cups of fresh mango pulp
3/4 cup whipping cream
Powdered sugar and lemon juice (if required, to taste)

Method
1. Whip the cream till the soft peak stage. If your mangoes aren't sweet enough, add powdered sugar to the cream, as required. Chill the whipped cream for an hour or two.
2. Puree the mango in a blender until smooth. If the mango you use is has stringy fibers, you may need to pass it through a sieve. Our mangoes were perfect and just needed 10 seconds in the blender. If the fruit is slightly flat tasting, as some mangoes are, add a few drops of lemon juice to brighten up the flavor. Chill along with the whipped cream.

To serve, you could either layer the mango puree and whipped cream, or just fold the two together and serve chilled. I folded them together along with diced mango flesh to break the creamy monotony. It is a monotony I could very easily live with, but I was striving to improve on perfection. It was fabulous & absolutely refreshing in this summer heat! My little girl loved a dollop of the fool on her pancakes for breakfast this morning, too! :)

This dessert always triggers a childhood memory for me. My grandmother used to make something very similar, but used milk instead of cream. Then, she would freeze them in ice cube trays. I have fond memories of sucking on those frozen, cubes of mango, the juice running down my arms and down my chin. And on a hot summer's day, it was the perfect treat for a little kid. I think I'll pop my next batch in the freezer to share with my little girl.

These cute little ceramic pots were part of my Mother's Day gifts! Aren't they cute?

Technorati Tags: Mango, Fruit, Fool, Dessert, Recipe