Mango Mousse

Ingredients

• 3 large ripe mangoes (about 750 g in total), peeled and stoned
• ½ ripe mango, peeled, stoned and finely diced, for topping
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 50 g caster sugar, adjusted to the sweetness of the mangoes
• 2 tsp powdered gelatin (about 7 g)
• 3 tbsp cold water, for the gelatin
• 300 ml chilled whipping cream, at least 35% fat
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, for the cream
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 6 small fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Instructions

1. Pour the cold water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Leave it to soak until spongy and absorbed, with no dry powder left.
2. While the gelatin soaks, blend the 3 whole mangoes with the lemon juice until completely smooth. You need about 450 g of puree. If the mango is fibrous, push the puree through a sieve. Dice the ½ mango for topping and keep it covered in the fridge.
3. Put 100 g of the puree and the caster sugar in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the puree is hot to the touch but not boiling.
4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the soaked gelatin until it melts completely and the mixture looks smooth, with no grains on the spoon.
5. Stir this warm mixture into the rest of the mango puree in a large bowl. Leave it to cool to room temperature, stirring once or twice. Meanwhile, put the cream and a mixing bowl in the fridge to stay cold.
6. In the chilled bowl, whisk the cream, icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. The cream should hold a gentle curl when the whisk is lifted, not stiff peaks.
7. Fold a third of the cream into the mango puree with a spatula to loosen it. Fold in the remaining cream gently until no white streaks remain, keeping as much air as you can.
8. Divide the mousse between six glasses. Cover and chill until set and spoonable, with a soft, wobbly texture. This takes about 4 hours.
9. Just before serving, top each glass with the diced mango and a mint leaf.

Tips

• Use very ripe, sweet and fragrant mangoes such as Sindhri, Chaunsa or Anwar Ratol. Pale, under-ripe fruit gives a dull, sour mousse.
• Let the gelatin mixture cool before folding in the cream. If it is too warm it will melt the cream and the mousse will be thin.
• Make sure the cream and bowl are cold before whipping, and stop at soft peaks. Over-whipped cream turns grainy when folded in.
• Taste the puree before adding sugar. Very sweet mangoes may need only 30 g.