'M' is for .... 'Maxinesmixup'....Mango Dessert x

Mangos remind me of the many exotic countries we have visited as a family, and the fleshy fruits would always be welcome in the hot climate to help quench our thirst. And whenever my youngest son is home Mango's are always on the shopping list. I just wish someone could invent seedless ones like grapes as the stone inside does not make them the easiest fruit to prepare.

Most people when I was little girl would not of heard of or seen a mango, and others who had would be suspicious of its foreign origins. Today we are lucky to have a huge variety of exotic  fruits and vegetables that can be brought in any supermarket.

My Mum was one of those that would not  recognise a mango if she fell over one, but I on the other hand experienced the taste of the lovely sweet yellow flesh from around the age of 5. My Nan was a lady who was not afraid of being different and 'lived in sin' her words not mine. In those days it was frowned upon,  she lived with a lovely man from India called Jim, so the neighbours really had something to gossip about.

I would visit my Nan and Jim every Sunday and always looked forward to seeing them both. She would cook the most delicious roast dinner, and a traditional English Pudding....yummmmm  She was probably the only woman in here street to prepare and eat traditional Indian food as she liked to give Jim a reminder of the country he was born in so they mostly ate curry!

During the afternoon she would give me slices of mango, which at first I was unsure of, as their texture and taste was very different from anything I have ever eaten but was not long before I looked forward to this afternoon treat.

So these mango and ginger cheesecakes are dedicated to my Nan, Gladys.....x

Recipe

1 Pack of Fairtrade Ginger cookies....I brought mine from Waitrose

6 tbsp butter

200g Mascarpone cheese

400g curd or cream cheese

100g caster sugar

3 tbsp milk

small pot of double cream

2 Mangos

1. Crush the biscuits roughly. You can either do this by putting them in a plastic food bag and crushing them with a wooden spoon or you can crumble them with your fingers. Reserve some for decoration
2. Put the biscuits into a bowl and mix in the melted butter. Put the mixture into a 23cm cheesecake tin or little individual cases, using your fingers or the back of a spoon to spread it evenly, press it down  to form the base. Put into the fridge to set. This should take about 30 mins.
3. Chop and puree the mango.Put the curd or cream cheese, mango, mascarpone, sugar and milk into a bowl and mix it well with the wooden spoon.
4. Put the cream in a clean bowl and whisk until it is the consistency of thick custard. Add to the mango mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Remove the cheesecake  from the fridge. Pour the filling over the biscuit base and spread evenly. Decorate with crumbled ginger biscuits and mango and return to the fridge until ready to serve (at least 4 hours or overnight).
6. I decorated my minis with pieces of mango, a macadamia nut, slice of fudge, pomegranate seeds for extra colour and Belgium chocolate thins. 

A Hindu legend tells the story of the mango tree growing from the ashes of the sun princess, who had been incinerated by an evil sorceress. The Emperor fell in love with the mango flower and subsequently its fruit. When the mango ripened and fell to the ground, the beautiful sun princess emerged. Thus, the mango has become a symbol of love in India, and a basket of mangoes is considered a gesture of 
friendship.
Below are some interesting facts and myths about mangoes

The word 'mango' is derived from the Tamil word 'mangkay' or 'man-gay'. When the Portguese traders settled in Western India they adopted the name 'manga'.Mangoes are known as the 'king of fruit' throughout the world.

• The Mango tree plays a sacred role in India; it is a symbol of love and some believe that the Mango tree can grant wishes.

• In the Hindu culture hanging fresh mango leaves outside the front door during Ponggol (Hindu New Year) and Deepavali is considered a blessing to the house.
• Leaves of mango trees are used at weddings to ensure the couple bear plenty of children (though it is only the birth of the male child that is celebrated - again by hanging mango leaves outside the house).
• The fruit of the mango is called a Drupe - consisting of themesocarp (edible fleshy part) and endocarp (large woody, flattened pit).
• The mango is a member of the Anachardiaceae family. Other distant relatives include the cashew, pistachio, Jamaica plum, poison ivy and poison oak
  

http://freshmangos.com/factsmyths.html
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-mango.html