Food Culture: A Taste of Mango-late!

Swirling about the ballroom in pleated dresses with frilly tops, dark and grey heads whirled through the floor, drunk with laughter. Music filled the air as all of the ladies were infused with an aroma of dancing, arm-in-arm along stiff uniforms to lead them across the ground.

One such dark haired wonder lay deep in thought, charting a menu for the next week’s soiree. Eggs - devilled; Soufflé avec Poulet; mango tarts; children and bedtime. As the heat fell in the higher reaches of Europe, a calm washed over her dainty facade…grasslands and expanse spread for miles till the stormy sky met its horizon and I stood in the corner, invisible from sight, as the scene played out in my head.

My nana had attended this ball fifty years ago in Yugoslavia. Her love for summer fruits and evening jamborees triumphed over all celebration spanning in front of her. A menu was manifesting itself within her creative mind amidst a bundle of ideas playing charades with flavours. One such idea that sprang to life was from the simplest of ingredients merged into a trend of summery richness.

The Chocolate Ganache Mango Tarts, or, as rephrased by me, A Taste of Mango-late!

Follow my tips and ingredients precisely for the perfect marriage between the sin and sinner:

Ingredients (Serves 10) -

Tartlets -

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

4 Tbsps Chilled Butter (or more according to consistency)

2 Tbsps Cold Water

1 Tbsp Sugar (or more; optional)

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence (Optional)

Pinch of salt

Filling –

1 Cup (8 Oz) Milk Chocolate

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Mango

Pinch of Salt

Method:

Tartlets –

1.     Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Celsius or 356 Degrees Fahrenheit

2.     In a blender, mix all ingredients together until combined, flaky

3.     Place the mixture on the cooking station and knead well with your hands until the texture   seems firm

4.     Chill the dough for about 10 Minutes

5.     Spread the same out again on a bed of flour with a rolling-pin

6.     Now cut out the size you desire – for mini tartlets or a 9-inch-pie dish

7.     Place the same in the oven and bake for 20-25 Minutes till the tart is now golden brown

8.     Let the same cool for 10 minutes post which the shells should slip out of their moulds with ease

Filling –

1.     First off, we prepare the ganache

2.     Place the chocolate in a bowl, broken into pieces

3.     Now heat the cream on the stove until it comes to a boil

4.     Now immediately pour the warm mixture over the chocolate and leave it to rest for 2-3 Minutes (also you may sprinkle the salt over the cream right about now)

5.     Mix together the same until your ganache is formed with smooth glossy consistency

6.     Meanwhile, puree the mango in a blender until all lumps are smoothed out

7.     Now, blend together the mango puree and ganache for a thick filling

8.     Using a piping bag or a spoon, fill each tartlet with a handsome amount of the chocolatey mango goodness!

To make sure the recipe is an absolute fool proof, follow my mini-tips to avoid an Oops moment!

a.     Roll-out the dough on a bed of flour to avoid a sticky business

b.     A pinch of salt cuts extra sugar/sweetness – add salt in case you want to cut the extra sugary taste

c.     Chilled ingredients for the dough to ensure extra flakiness and to keep the mix together

d.     Store the tarts in your refrigerator and top them off with white chocolate shavings

I assure you, this age old 4-step tartlet will amplify moods everywhere they go!