Saturday, October 10, 2009

Farewell My Love

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My dad brought me a last bag of mangoes. I was so excited that I did not notice until the following day, he was limping. It turns out that he had climbed the mango tree to get the very last mangoes in the topmost branches. He quickly sought to reassure me that he hadn't fallen out of the tree but had only slipped. This was said with the cheeky grin of an impish boy. There was a twinkle in his eyes. Uhhmmm dad you are 72 years old! You are too old to be climbing trees! I scolded, I preached, I ranted at his folly. In my heart though I understood, for who among us can resist the lure of a mango's intoxicating perfume? Those cherub, yellow cheeks with just a blush of rose are so like babies' cheeks, just ripe for biting.

It's the end of the mango season. My heart is heavy as I prepare to say goodbye to my favourite fruit. I was cutting up and freezing some mangoes when it occurred to me that over the past several months I haven't done anything other than eat them as they are, or purée them for the baby. I know, I know, how terribly boring. But I am of the view that there is no better way to enjoy a mango than the way nature intended.

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In the past I have tried various mango tarts and puddings. I can honestly say that I do not like the flavour or texture of a cooked ripe mango. The natural sugars concentrate into a cloying sweet mush - bleh! What I needed was something to offset the overbearing sweetness of the cooked mango. I decided on a rich chocolate. The cake is moist and brownie like. The cake looks so thin because I took some of the batter to make three individual sized cakes for snacking - this kept the DH at bay while I took the photos. In my opinion the only thing missing was to serve this with clotted cream to truly put this over the top. However the cake was done before I could run to the store and buy some.


Mango Chocolate Gâteau

Mango Topping
3 ripe but firm mangoes (sliced as you prefer)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar ( I will use less next time)

Slice mango and sprinkle with lemon juice. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add sugar. Spread the butter sugar mixture on the bottom of a non-stick round 9" cake pan. Arrange mango slices and pour cake batter on top.

Cake Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use a good quality brand)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup shortening (melted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg


Instructions

In a bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, cooled melted shortening and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Pour over the mango slices into non stick 9" round cake pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on a rack.


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The End.

There are no more mangoes.

Say hello to my new BFF, pomme de cythère, just coming into season.


pomme de cythere prune de cythere

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What can I say? My love is fickle smile:-)

18 comments:

  1. I love mangoes! I too prefer them plain but always think it would be nice to do something with them. Your cake looks very pretty. Lucky you to have a dad willing to shimmy up a tree for good fruit! :)

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  2. granted, i don't know a lot of recipes incorporating mango, but i doubt there's a finer one to use to bid the last of the fresh mangoes farewell. this is outstanding!

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  3. Poor mango, so quickly replaced by a new BFF ; ) Mangoes are something I've grown to love in the past few years. Don't think I even saw one until I was in my early 20's. The chocolate combo is quite unusual from anything I've seen, but I can just imagine a pleasant tartness...

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  4. Wow. I tend not to cook mangoes because it's hubby's favorite fruit and like you I don't like the cloying sweetness, but this looks fantastic. I hope your Dad is ok, sounds like the kind of thing my Dad would do. Pray tell, what does a pomme de cythere taste like? is it a type of apple as the name indicates?

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  5. I've never tried chocolate and mango together, but I already like it! =)

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  6. I've never tried baking mango because of the mushy texture, but your cake looks perfect. I've never paired cocoa with mango either. Gotta start baking this cake for the weekend =)

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  7. Hehe your dad sounds like he's still a boy at heart! How sweet of him to give the last of the mangoes to you and what a great way to celebrate the last of the season :)

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  8. Hungry dog - yes my dad is a hoot, gotta love him.

    Grace. Thanks it was great pity I have to wait until next year to try it again.

    Kellypea - you can't help but love mangoes can you?

    Jackie - I hear you on the mushy texture which is why I thought of this. Just be sure to use firm only just ripe mangoes.

    Talita- it's an unusual combination to be sure but it works

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  9. What an incredibly loving father you have bringing you the last mangos of the season. Your recipe looks like his efforts were not in vain - delicious!

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  10. ooooh! this looks so fantastic!

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  11. That looks so good! Mangos are 'bye-bye' here too :o(

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! Yes, I have heard of making my own coconut oil. I tried once, but it was a total flop. Have you done it? What did you do?

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  12. Mangoes & chocolate are a great combination, and this seems the perfect marriage. Now to wait for summer to come. This is a beautiful post.

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  13. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I've never heard of pomme de cythère. They look delicious! Are they similar to papaya in flavor?? Looking forward to following you!

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  14. Thank you very much for your nice message and I wish you a beautiful day !

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  15. what an interesting combination of chocolate and mango. i bet it must be very flavorful.

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  16. Looks delicious! I can't believe your 72 year old father climbed a tree for them. Good for him, no wait - what was he thinking!

    Thanks for visiting my blog, I love yours. It's so fascinating. I always wondered what it would be like to live in the Carribean instead of the midwest U.S. I'm extremely jealous! I'm now following and can't wait to read more posts to keep me warm through the winter!

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  17. Mango's one of my fave fruit too! Your mango cake looks gorgeous, I'm sure that is delicious too :)

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