“The fact is that it takes more than ingredients and technique to cook a good meal. A good cook puts something of himself into the preparation — he cooks with enjoyment, anticipation, spontaneity, and he is willing to experiment.”
Pearl Bailey
On now to posting about the yummy dessert that was born out of the very yummy Honey Castella, a sponge cake made from this post at Manggy’s @ No Special Effects. I posted it here yesterday. I had a fridge full of mangoes (lucky ole me), a kilo & a half of yogurt that I had set & some low fat cottage cheese…all this fell at my feet while I was clearing the fridge. Single cream is something I always have on hand, so my natural instinct was to try something different! How wrong could I possibly go with a fruit dessert?, I thought. Even if my cheesecake/mousse didn’t set firmly, it didn’t matter; it was in a glass anyway.
The cottage cheese I used is a very smooth version that we get here. There is just one brand that makes this low fat cottage cheese here, & it is almost like a smooth, yet firm ricotta with no water content. It grates almost like mozzarella so was a nice choice for this dessert.
I often use this combination of ingredients to make my cheesecake as cream cheese is hard to come by here, & is quite expensive as it is imported. In this instance, I have used gelatin as a setting agent as this is a no bake version. At other times I make a baked version that uses eggs. Both work fine in their own little ways. I do enjoy this eggless version that uses a combination of locally available stuff.
In desserts like this one, I think you can play around with ingredients as you like. Everything safely sits inside the glass & so they can be even set up with left-over pound cake or a sponge, with cream cheese, or mascarpone, with or without some cut mangoes, & topped with whipped cream. You can never go wrong with a trifle + fruit + cream…so do experiment! It’s FUN!!
I made some servings in bigger glasses, & a some more in cognac goblets. Both looked really pretty, made for great dessert, & were devoured with pleasure. The mango season here is rapidly coming to a close…so sadly, very few mango opportunities left now.
Purrrrrfect Mango Mousse…or is it mouse?
Recipe…
For the basic sponge
Honey Castella/ Sponge Cake recipe here
For the cheesecake
Ingredients:
Mango puree – of 5 mangoes (about 3 1/2 – 4 cups) (reserve 1/2 cup for the mirror topping)
Mango – 1 / chopped
Cottage cheese – 300 gms (low-fat / I use Le Bon); grated
Hung Yogurt – of 1 1/2 litres set yogurt (hung the yogurt overnight)
Cream – 300 ml
Gelatin – 3 tsps (the strength of gelatin we get here is quite low, so I didn’t get a very firm set cheesecake)
Gelatin – 1 tsp for mango mirror topping
Cream, Slivered pistachios, Fresh mint leaves etc for garnishing
Method:
- Sprinkle 3 tsps gelatin over 3 tbsps of hot water & leave to stand.
- Reserve 1/2 a cup of mango puree for the mango mirror topping.
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Run the mango puree + cottage cheese + hung yogurt in the processor.
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Taste for sweetness & add sugar if required.
- Strain the gelatin into this & run the processor briefly again.
- Whip the cream until firm & fold in.
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Cut rounds of the Castella/cake with a cookie cutter, or cut out correct size pieces to line your serving dish / glasses/ bowls. Layer a glass with a slice of cake, followed with some cut mango pieces, then some cheesecake mix, another layer of cake, & then some more cheesecake mix.
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Leave to set in the fridge for at least an hour or so.
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For the mango mirror:
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Sprinkle 1 tsp gelatin over 2 tbsp of hot water. Stir in well to mix. Cool.
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Strain the reserved 1/2 cup of mango puree to get a smooth mirror), & strain the gelatin into it. Mix well.
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Top each glass with 1 tbsp each of the mirror & leave to set in the fridge. Once the mirror is set, top with a 1/2 tsp of cream, swirl it, top with slivered pistachios, fresh mint etc.
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Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.
Nirvana in a goblet!