Mango Madness – Part 2

Back when my mom had her chef’s license, she told me she had trained with an Italian chef who invited her to continue studying in Europe. Unfortunately, she turned it down to continue her work in the United States, but I still think it’s so cool that she was offered the opportunity. I’ve always loved Italian cuisine, and the photos I’ve seen make the entire country look absolutely gorgeous. I can only dream of one day traveling overseas to see the cities for myself, so I suppose I’ll have to settle for attempting to make Italian food at home.

Today, I decided to try my hand at a dessert known as “panna cotta,” which translates into “cooked cream.” I’ve only had this dish once at a restaurant in Little Italy (San Francisco), so I wasn’t entirely sure how this would turn out. I remember it being a soft, creamy custard that was topped with a fresh strawberry sauce. I like how layered desserts look, so I created a variation of this that would fit inside these tiny appetizer bowls I had at home.

Mango Panna Cotta (based off “My Kitchen and Photography”):
Serving Size: 8 miniature appetizer bowls

• 1 large, ripe mango
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tsp powdered, unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk

For garnish:

• mango, cut into small cubes
• sliced almonds

I began by pureeing the mango in a blender and distributing them in the appetizer bowls to reach about halfway. Then, I put these in the freezer to firm up a bit while I worked on the cream layer.

Next, I poured the water into a small ramekin and sprinkled the gelatin over it until it blooms. In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream with sugar and vanilla while stirring constantly to ensure the sugar dissolves. Let it warm until tiny bubbles begin to appear, and turn off the heat before it comes to a roaring boil. Stir in the gelatin mixture. It should have a smooth consistency, as shown below.

Let the cream cool for about 10 minutes before adding in the milk. Afterwards, let it cool to room temperature before spooning it onto the pureed mango. Put it dessert in the fridge for about 2 hours or until the gelatin firms up. Garnish with some cubed mango, and voila! (Yes, I’m aware that this expression is French even though I’ve been rambling about Italy for half the post…)

I stumbled upon some sliced almonds in the pantry, so I added them as garnish. Also, I got a bit lazy while making these cups and filled 2 of them with pure cream. To differentiate these from the others, I topped them with just almonds.

And here ends my mango adventure of the day. Perhaps a new creation will be made tomorrow!

– Chef μChip