Mango Ice cream

Mango season is almost seeing it's end and I realize I do not have a single post on mangoes for this season. We have been enjoying mangoes thoroughly almost every single day. Neelam variety of mangoes have hit the stands already and soon the last batch of mangoes for this season will dissapear without any being used in desserts, soley to please my blog first and our taste buds next :)

I love mangoes in their true form, especially if they are naturally sweet. To me they can compete with any dessert. These days our meals complete with mangoes, thus leaving no room for any other dessert. I initially thought of using them in a baked version of my beloved mango cheesecake which I made sometime back. But soon the thoughts on baking took a backseat as time is not at my luxury these days. I think of baking and my baby calls out for me with her cries even before I can pre-heat my oven or get my pans out. Thoughts disappear. The pans are back in their shelves. I need to attend her. I sit down to write a line or two for my blog and again she calls out for me. I need to attend. Period! Finally I get a chance today... to jot down beyond just a sentence or two. Phew!

Year's ago when we were kids, Nestle's condensed milk, Milkmaid often came with a complimentary recipe booklet which had a collection of some excellent recipes made using condensed milk. My mom would collect these recipe books, file them and often make sweet treats for us. I was inspired by a recipe for an eggless mango ice-cream from an old recipe booklet that I had borrowed from my mom's collection. I modified it to make the ice-cream more creamier and rich.

Do you by any chance know how I chop my mangoes? It's been a trade secret for long. Sssshhh ;) That's reveled now :D. I use a peeler to peel off the skin from the fruit. Then chop them to long wedges or squares as desired. I find this process easier and mess-free for the clumsy me. And that old steel peeler cum grater has been an obedient friend of mine serving it's purpose on a daily basis as needed. I can't survive without it.

Mango Ice-cream

Inspired by Milkmaid's recipe booklet

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe mangoes weighing almost 750 gms
400 ml sweetened condensed milk
200 ml low fat milk cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
100 ml prepared thick custard

DIRECTIONS

Prepare a thick custard by heating a mixture of 100 ml milk and 10 gm cornflour. Heat it till the mix thickens and coats well on the back of a spoon. Refrigerate till needed. Alternatively, you may use a store bought vanilla/mango flavored custard powder and prepare the same using instructions on the pack. I used a store bought vanilla custard powder for this recipe.

Wash the mangoes, skin them and chop the fruit roughly. In a mixie or using a blender puree the mangoes along with cold sweetened condensed milk, ice cold low fat milk cream (I used 25% Amul cream), prepared custard and the vanilla extract. Blend them well till they are homogeneous. A touch of vanilla enhances the flavor of mangoes. Transfer the ice-cream to a freezer proof, air-tight container and freeze them for an hour or two. Remove when you see the sides of ice cream setting. Run the ice cream in a mixie or a blender and return it to the freezer. Repeat the process a couple of times for creamier ice cream. Return to freezer and freeze for a couple of hours till set. Remove the ice cream and leave on the counter for 5-10 mins before serving. This will soften the ice cream a little and help in scooping it out with ease. Alternatively, you may dip the scooper in hot water first and then scoop out the ice cream to serve.

The original recipe suggested the use of gelatin which will help in reducing crystallization of the ice cream during the freezing process. Gelatin wasn't the best option for me, so I skipped it and had no problems with that. This is by far the creamiest ice cream I have made. I left the ice cream sit in freezer over night and I had no trouble with ice crystals forming on the ice cream.

Making ice cream at home needs some amount of patience especially if you do not have an ice cream maker. The daunting job of freezing, churning and re-freezing would be saved to a greater extent. I am envious of the one's who own it. But then making this way has it's own charm. My family enjoyed every scoop thoroughly, sought out for more helpings. Served with freshly chopped mangoes, we could taste the freshest, ripe fruit that went into it with every bite. This is my best way to bid adieu to the summers.