It’s a simply mangotastic feeling at this time of year!  The mango trees are full and laden with heavy ripe mangos.  The supermarkets and corner colmado’s are bursting to the seams with this exotic King of Fruits and driving anywhere outside of the city and into the countryside you’ll discover buckets of them by the side of the road for sale. Mango Mania comes twice a year to the Dominican Republic and I’ve been collecting my old jam jars and boiling them till they shine like Swartzkoff Crystal ready for a delightful dollop of homemade chutney!

Oh the poker boys are in for a treat this week when they come round to the house! My husband, Captain Crunch, plays poker once a week with a group of chaps who take it in turns to go round to each others house, and when everyone piles round to Casa Mango Mamma I always make a steaming hot tongue twizzler of a curry (poker tactics for Captain Crunch you see - he’s had to put up with the ring of fire for many years and is an old timer at it!). Added to the fact I managed to unearth a hefty tin of Hot Madras curry powder in Playero supermarket in Sosua the other Saturday – Oh thank the Curry Gods and thanks to Playero for imported goods to the DR! And I can't wait to make my monkey chunky Mango Chutters - Bring it on!!

I also dug out a couple of recipes that I’m going to share with you and cannot take credit for.  They come from an old book written by a German man who used to live in the DR called, Heinz Meder, and his book is called “Tales of a Caribbean Isle - The Dominican Republic”.  I don’t think this book is actually in print anymore, however long haul people living on the north coast will remember Heinz and his wit, talent and passion and compassion for the DR which he made his home for many years.  It’s a simply beautiful little book with hand sketched illustrations and an absolute treasure to read.

Mango Mousse:
By Heinz Meder

Ingredients:
4 or 5 Ripe Mango’s, peeled and pitted
Juice of 2 limes
Quarter cup of fine sugar
1 Envelope of unflavored gelatin, dissolved in 2 table spoons of hot water
2 Egg whites, beaten
Quarter teaspoon of salt
Three quarters cup heavy cream
 

Method:
In a food processor, puree the mangos.  Add the lime juice, sugar and gelatin and briefly process to combine.
In a large bowl, combine the egg whites with the salt and beat until really stiff.
Gently fold the mango puree into the egg whites and do the same with the whipped cream.  Pour gently into one large or 8 individual serving bowls and refrigerate until the mousse is firm, about 3 hours.  Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Serves 8

Danke Heinz! I have made this at home and it is zehr gut so give it a try yourselves, I also had to squeeze in this recipe of Heinz’s for Coconut Shrimp which as you can imagine, if eaten before the Mango Mousse you’re in for a delightful dinner ce soir!

Coconut Shrimps
By Heinz Meder

Ingredients:
1 and a Half Teaspoons sweet paprika
1 and a Half Teaspoons black pepper
2 Teaspoons of salt
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 and a Half Teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 and a Half Teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 12-ounce bottle of beer – Presidente of course!
1 and a Half cups of flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
40-50 Medium, sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined but leave the tails on.
2 Cups shredded unsweetened coconut
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Combine all the spices in a small bowl. 
Whisk in a large bowl the beer, flour and baking soda to the consistency of a pancake batter.  Stir in the spice mixture.
Spread the coconut out on a plate.  Dip each shrimp into the batter, shake off any excess, and then roll in the coconut to cover.  Press the shrimp in the palm of your hand to make the coconut flakes stick.
In a deep fryer or large saucepan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
Drop the shrimp a few at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute.  Drain on paper towels and serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.  Top with hot red pepper sauce if you like.
Serves 10 as an appetizer or 5 as an entrée.

I love this recipe for coconut shrimp and if you are a spicy chica like myself then you can always add a few chili flakes into the batter as well!

And just from my previous blog, here is a picture of an apple/butter tart pie I baked for the kids from Canada doing their chairty/aid/help work on the mountainside! This pie measured 2 foot by 1 and a half foot and was decorated with The Curly One's assistance as we used his prized Teddy Bear cutter to hide the places where the pastry had to be put in pieces for the top crust!

Here is Teddy Bear Pie! 

And nothing to do with anything really but a picture of some more really nice flowers from my flower garden here in the Dominican Republic!