A mango ice-cream combines the natural sweetness of mango coupled with the creaminess of an ice-cream. Here’s how to do it!
by Charlene Cassar
Ice-cream is one of my favourite things ever. I eat ice-cream all year round and if I’ve had a particularly bad day, and the Nutella has run out, I skip dinner (do NOT try at home) and get that ice cream tub from the freezer. You’ve probably realised this from our ice-cream posts on our page. There’s a lot more ice-cream that does not appear on screen.
This is the main reason I asked Samantha if she would be willing to prepare an ice-cream for OMGFoodMalta. Her reply was, ‘I can do one better. What about mango ice-cream?’ Perfect. The natural sweetness of mango coupled with a delicious and creamy ice-cream? I’ll take three scoops, please.
Most of us have grown up with ice-cream in our lives since forever. Although we don’t have the exact date to when the world was first introduced to its glorious taste, however, the first records of ice-cream were actually from the second century B.C.
What records prove that some form of ice-cream existed way, way before our time? The evolution happened throughout centuries. You all know who Alexander the Great is, the King of the ancient Greek Macedon. He was born in 356 BC and lived till 323 BC. He had a favourite ice-cream variant (snow and ice); honey and nectar. King Solomon, who was the King of Israel responsible for building the first Temple in Jerusalem, died around 931 BC. He was a big fan of iced drinks.
The first closest thing to ice cream most likely originated from China in 200 BC when a combination of milk and rice were stored in the snow to freeze them. King Tang of Shang (somewhere in the region of 618 – 97AD) invented a dish made from buffalo milk, flour and camphor.
Many centuries later, in the 1300s, Marco Polo, after his trip to China, introduced the world (or rather, Italy) to a variant of ice-cream now known as sherbet. With time (approximately three centuries later), this very same recipe became the ice-cream recipe much similar to the recipe we know today. In 1660, its popularity spread wide and far and became a favourite amongst many people in many European countries.
Ice cream brings joy. Ice-cream brings happiness. And this was the exact reason that the American military served ice cream to their troops in World War II. They went even as far as building a “floating ice cream parlour”, the first of its kind in 1945, making ice cream easily available to sailors. How did Americas celebrate when the war ended in victory? With ice-cream, of course.
Enough with the history lesson, and let’s get on with the recipe. Samantha has her own variation to the mango ice-cream recipe. What we loved about this mango ice-cream recipe is that you do not need any fancy equipment. If you have a blender, you’re good to go!
You can leave out the saffron if you like, but with it, you get a much more variant colour. The mango and the honey give this mango ice-cream recipe the perfect amount of sweetness, especially if you have a bit of a sweet tooth, like I do! Mangoes can be moderately expensive so do not hesitate to experiment with other fruit that might be more readily available according to when they are in season.
Mango Ice-Cream Recipe:
Ingredients:
– 1 large mango
– 2 tbsp honey
– A few threads of saffron
– 1 cup condensed milk
– 1 cup whipping cream
– Toppings: maple syrups, crushed nuts and sprinkles
Method:
- Dice the mango and blend to a puree in a blender.
- In a small pan on medium heat, add the puree and caramelise in tbsp of honey and a pinch of saffron. Allow to cool.
- Whip condensed milk and add to the mango puree.
- Whip whipped milk cream and fold it into the mango mixture.
- Empty into an airtight container and freeze for at least 6 hours in the freezer.
- Enjoy in a cone or bowl topped with some maple syrup glaze, nuts and sprinkles!
Let us know if you enjoyed this mango ice-cream recipe. We promise you this will be a favourite amongst friends and family especially during the summer period and there is always a lot more satisfaction from something that is homemade!
You can also check Samantha’s Instagram page @sams.sweet.savoury
