MANGO COBBLER- A SUMMER TREAT

In South Florida summer means mangoes!  After Hurricane Wilma, my mango tree languished and showed few signs of life.  This year, it’s back!  There are many different mango varieties.  Some are very fibrous and are only good for juicing.  Others are very soft and can’t take any heat.  The mangoes from my tree are on the small side, but they are meaty, firm, sweet, perfumed and absolutely exquisite.  They also hold up well when baked. 

I stayed out of the kitchen through most of the spring [why the long silence since my last entry] and did a lot of grilling.  With summer in full swing, it’s too hot to cook outside.  Though the final result seems sophisticated and complex, it’s a very easy recipe.  In fact, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees now, and by the time it’s hot, you’ll be done. 

I like to peel them with my (left handed) veggie peeler so that I don’t lose too much fruit in the process.  I also choose them for cooking at that first point of ripeness, when they’re firm and meaty (once they’re squishy, they’re only good for smoothies).  For this recipe I’m only going after the two big round slices on either side of the seed. 

Next, I slice these meaty half mangoes evenly (I used a total of 6 small mangoes).  This quickly becomes a lot of mango.

I’m going to sprinkle all this with a ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of sea salt.  (Why salt?  Because they’re already so sweet, no sugar necessary, also, the salt will add depth to the fruit’s natural sweetness).  For a last bit of depth, I add an ounce of dark rum and stir everything together.

Now melt a stick of unsalted butter and pour that into your baking dish.  I’m using a Portuguese porcelain baking dish because it’s so easy to clean and looks elegant on the table.  (11” x 8 ½ “)

Next, the hard part: sift 1 cup of white sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of baking powder (not baking soda!!!), ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice and/or ground nutmeg.  For that extra bit of flair, add a ½ teaspoon of dry oregano.  Mix thoroughly (in simple terms, take a whisk or a fork – the sugar and salt will break up any lumps in the flour.  I always put a dash of pepper into all my desserts, so I add a small dash of cayenne + a turn on the peppermill for extra depth into the dry ingredients. 

Add in a cup of milk and a teaspoon of real vanilla extract.  Mix thoroughly, but don’t over-mix.  Pour the batter into the pan.  The butter will almost overtake it.

Lay the fruit into the baking dish so that it thoroughly covers the dish.

Put it into the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes.  If a toothpick comes out clean after that, take it out and let it cool.  If it’s very humid, it might take another 5 minutes.

Maybe served warm or room temp.  It became a part of my 4^th of July table along with Tuscan Strawberries, a potato salad, hamburgers, baked chicken and a vegetable and arugula salad dressed in my go-to Dijon mustard salad dressing. 

I spooned it onto plates with French vanilla ice cream – fireworks!

The oregano really elevates the cake and the mango and rum melts in your mouth.  I truly treasure mango season, and hope you enjoy this special summer treat from my kitchen to your table. 

NOTE: can’t find mangoes where you live?  Try frozen.  They only have pulp?  Drain it thoroughly before you put it into the batter.  You can also substitute peaches, apples, pears, plums and pineapples. 

MY FINAL NOTE: use fresh whenever you can.