Mango Mousse

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When you entertain people who know and love food, there are different paths that can be taken to the table. Familiar dishes, flawlessly prepared, work well, but so do more trendy dishes that expand the palates of those you've invited to eat with you. I took the path of least resistance last evening and chose a menu of simple dishes that represent Spring in various countries around the world. There was Scandinavian salmon, Turkish lamb, Italian risotto and a French asparagus salad. Fortunately, the dishes blended nicely and it all turned out well. It was a night of good food, good company and good wine. I wanted to end the meal on a light, bright note and decided to serve a mango mousse with meringue cookies for dessert. When properly prepared, this is a wonderful, slightly tart dessert. Its success or failure depends of the quality of the mangoes used to make it. They must be fully ripe and bursting with flavor. I can tell you from bitter experience, that those packs of peeled and sliced mangoes that are now available in the super market will not work here. I've never tried the mango puree that is available at Trader Joe's, but I suspect that this is a case where sweat equity pays off. I'm always asked to suggest a substitute for the orange liqueur used in the recipe. Unfortunately, there is none. Orange juice will ruin the mousse. It takes a while for this to stiffen, so it is best made early in the day you plan to serve it. If you want something more fancy, the mousse can be shaped in molds and served with a strawberry coulis. I do have one note of caution. Mango can be stringy even when pureed. To have an absolutely smooth puree, I put mine through a sieve before proceeding with the recipe. This is not an overtly sweet dessert, but it is delicious and I marvel at its color every time I see it. If you're in the market for something a little different, I think you'll like this mousse. If you like desserts with a little tang, you'll love it. Here's the recipe.

Mango Mousse...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1 to 2 teaspoons lime juice
1 package unflavored gelatin
2-1/2 pounds large ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 cup chilled whipping cream

Directions:
1) Pour liqueur into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let gelatin soften 10 minutes. Puree mangoes in processor. Measure puree and return 2-1/2 cups to work bowl of processor (reserve remainder for garnish). Add sugar to mango puree in processor and blend well. Set bowl of gelatin in saucepan of simmering water. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Add gelatin mixture and lime juice to mango in processor and blend. Whip cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in mango mixture. Transfer to 6 dessert dishes. Yield: 6 servings.

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