Grilled mango with balsamic drizzle. Photo: Jennifer Iserloh
If you've ever tasted real aged balsamic vinegar, you know that nothing compares with its aroma, texture and dark, deep flavor.
The real McCoy is from Modena, Italy, made from the white Trebbiano grape and aged for 12 to 25 years. A 4-ounce bottle of the good stuff (that's just 1/2 cup) can range from $100 to $150!
Sadly, my budget doesn't keep me from craving foods, so I've reduced some inexpensive balsamic vinegar to get a rich-tasting drizzle that I can use on my grilling favorites.
It's a lovely thing to spy a gorgeous photo on Flickr, but even more lovely to realize its creator is a trained baker ... and that her recipe is available to mere mortals.
This layered verrine (from the French "verre," or glass) may look like the work of a prop stylist -- probably tasteless, intended to tempt hapless foodies -- but it is in fact a coconut and mango purée concoction from the prolific Bay Area blogger behind Dessert First. Not smitten yet? That's a chocolate wafer cookie straw. We thought so.
We adore this photo for its Care Bears like innocence (note the espresso cup with hearts) and the dreamy powdered sugar gracing those spare raspberries. Berry season being as fleeting as it is glorious, we appreciate as many reminders to take advantage of it as nature -- and the food blogosphere -- sends our way.
Like Hollywood, the food world has plenty of storied marriages, some of which hold up better than others. Peanut butter and chocolate? Like Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. Chocolate and garlic? More like Pam and Tommy Lee.
And pulled pork and mango? Like Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward: love at first sight to last the ages. And this photo, taken by Kevin at Closet Cooking, helps to explain why. These jerked pulled-pork wraps with mango and banana relish look like lusty testaments to this savory-sweet match made in heaven. As scenes from a marriage go, this is an indisputably happy one.
Mango and poison ivy are members of the same family. They both contain a substance called urushiol (yu-roosh'-ee-all) which causes those annoying blisters and itches in some people.
Mangoes contain much less urushiol. However, you could get a rash from a mango if you are very sensitive to poison ivy.
Don't stop eating mangoes and don't be afraid to try one - they are really good! If you have a weird rash on your mouth, though, be aware that like blogger Silent Rant you may be be able to say, "Hooray! It's not herpes!"
If there's one thing I would bet my last paycheck on as making an appearance at every Super Bowl party this weekend, it's chips and salsa. Not only is it possibly the easiest thing to "serve" because you only have to rip open a bag of tortilla chips and pop open a jar of salsa, but since the Super Bowl is being hosted in Arizona, lots of party themes will be "Southwest." It's just too easy to open a jar of salsa that you buy from the store, but the truth is, salsa is so easy to make at home. Here are eight recipes for different kinds of salsa (which literally translates to just "sauce") to go with your Super Bowl menu:
Salsa Verde - This salsa green from the little green tomatillos, which aren't just small, underripe tomatoes, though they are in the same family. This recipe for Tomatillo Salsa Verde is by Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes and is part of an entire meal of fish tacos.
Pico de Gallo - Pico de Gallo is a chunky "salsa" that has three basic diced ingredients: diced tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno, plus chopped cilantro. If you happen to be a fan of that baastion of Southwest cuisine, Applebee's, CDKitchen has the restaurant's recipe.
Roasted Tomato Salsa - eHow explains step-by-step how to make a basic Roasted Tomato Salsa.
Avocado Salsa - An avocado salsa isn't the same thing as guacamole. Suite 101 has a recipe for a spicy, creamy avocado salsa.
Mango, Avocado, and Shrimp Salsa - This could be a ceviche, but technically, the shrimp is steamed in water before adding to the salsa (in ceviche, the raw fish are usually "cooked" with lime or other citrus juice).
Black Bean Salsa -The Hot Sauce Blog has a recipe for Black Bean Salsa, but we love what it comes with, too -- cheese stuffed poblano peppers!
Some of you may already know that I enjoy eating the occasional gloriously messy mango whilst perched over the sink. As you can see from the above pic, that's not the only way I like to savor this supremely refreshing tropical fruit.
Years ago a friend hipped me to the practice of sprinkling my mango with salt and hot sauce. His wife was from Guyana and she always had a bottle of homemade Scotch bonnet pepper sauce. Actually it wasn't so much a sauce as a fiery mix of chopped bright orange and yellow peppers floating in vinegar. This wasn't the first time I encountered this combination though. Back in my college days me and some friends used to have contests to see who could eat the most Patak's mango pickle. Straight out of the jar, mind you, with little more accompaniment than pappadam.
Something about this shot struck a deep Pavlovian chord within me. It could be that it's so humid in New York City these days that the very idea of indulging in a citrusy, summery mangolicious dessert is positively refreshing. Or it could be that mangoes are just downright sexy. Most likely it's a combination of all these things.
Either way Nook & Pantry's Mango Lime Curd Tart is a decidedly more elegant way to eat mangoes than my usual method, which involves standing over the sink and slurping. Plus, this tart adds the bracing flavor of lime curd. It's enough to make me want to take up baking. If you feel the same way, click here for the recipe.
I didn't realize until a few years ago that in most other parts of the US, Cinco de Mayo isn't as huge a deal as it is here in LA. For some reason, I just assumed that everyone around the country used the "holiday" as an excuse to eat chips and salsa, drink margaritas, and shoot tequila to messy excess. Well, given that we also had the The Fight, and Derby Day yesterday, it's no surprise that I sort of "missed" my own Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Still, that doesn't mean that the gorgeous mango, lime, and margarita glass that have been sitting on my countertop should go to waste. Since Cinco de Mayo has already past, let's just call today Cinco de Mango, and enjoy the Mango Salsa from the National Mango Board, which LAist Lindsay William-Ross has already made and photograhed. The recipe for the salsa is after the jump, and for more mango recipes, check out www.mangoinfo.org.
Ladies and gentlemen and Slashfood readers of all ages, put on your thinking caps and direct your attention to the photo at right. It's time to play name that utensil.
I'll give everyone a head start, by stating the obvious. As you can see the image of the utensil in question is clearly an antique. What, you say that's not enough of a clue upon which to hang a guess! Fair enough: it's a fork.
Still not enough to go on? This particular mutation of the fork is designed to aid the consumption of a rather messy food of which there are purported to be more than 500 varieties. Check the jump for the answer.
For the first time in 18 years Indian Mangoes are going to be allowed into the US. As of last Friday the NY Times announced they are here and I am looking forward to them expectantly. India has over 1000 varieties of mangoes. They come in varying shapes, colors, and tastes.
A few years ago I spent some time in India and I still vividly remember stopping by street stalls and buying dozens of fresh, sweet mangoes of all types. My friends and I would sit on the beach and happily slurp them down, running into the surf afterwards to wash off all the sticky juices. Some times we would pick up spice mixes to sprinkle on top of the luscious fruit so we could enjoy the dual sensation of spicy heat and cool juicy fruit.
Don't expect to see huge amounts or types of the fruit immediately available. Some transportation problems still have to be worked out. But within a few months you'll have your pick of mangoes to happily munch on. Don't forget your bib.
Del Monte's brand new Fruit Chillers line is sure to be a hit with both kids (and adults) this summer, even though it is a little on the cold side right now in most parts of the country. The Chillers are individual sorbet cups, but there are a couple of things that set them apart from the average individually portioned kids dessert. The first, and most important, thing is that they are made with real fruit purees, rather than concentrated juices that have artificial colorings and flavors added to them. In fact, there are no artificial flavors in them at all and they contain 100% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C (150% in the mango flavor) and 3/4 serving of fruit, based on the nutrition pyramid. The other interesting thing about these is that they are not found in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. They are packed sealed and unfrozen, so you can simply pop them in the freezer before you are ready to eat them. The Chillers are fat free and contain about 190 calories per 4.5-ounce serving.
Now and Later the hard taffy candy has two new flavors, Mango and Strawberry / Banana Split to their line-up of around 20 flavors. They are called Now and Later, as their slogan says, because they are "Hard 'N Fruity Now and Soft 'N Chewy Later." They are tough to chew at first, but then after a lot of work they eventually soften up a bit like a hard taffy.
I remember Now and Later fondly from when I was a kid. My favorites were banana and pineapple, and always wished they made hot cinnamon flavor. I never actually needed to buy any of them. My experience was that adults who had never tried the candy themselves gave them to kids for Halloween. I assume they never tried them, because they are probably the dentists best friend. They were guaranteed to pull out all the fillings in my teeth and send me immediately to the torturer, uh, dentist... for a nice relaxing visit. My first dentist, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, didn't believe in Novocaine. I think he felt that pain helped build character. Maybe that's why I am such a character today? So now you know who to blame. Oh, and don't you go blaming me if you try the new flavors and end up visiting your dentist for a nice friendly visit or three.
Although research is still in preliminary stages, early results from a University of Queensland study presented at the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress indicated that compounds in mangoes may offer some surprising health benefits. They seem to act on the "same pathways that diabetes and cholesterol drugs target," blocking or activating receptors known as "peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors." These receptors play key rolls in people with diabetes and high cholesterol, but are also being linked with some types of cancer. If the mango compounds do target them, it is possible that the fruits could ease the effects of diabetes and high cholesterol, or even be able to combat cancerous cells.
The name "nutritional bioactive" is given to the unique components of fruits and vegetables that have particular health effects and study of these bioactives has been primarily directed at temperate, highly common fruits and vegetables (broccoli, etc). The researchers at Queensland have focused on tropical fruits, which is what led to their current findings.
Without getting a professional machine to keep in your kitchen, there are two main ways of making frozen yogurt. The first method involves making a mixture that is similar to an ice cream base, albeit much lower in fat than a full cream-and-eggs mixture, and churning it in an ice cream maker until the desired consistency is reached. The second method involves a literal translation, where the yogurt is mixed with fruit and frozen. Rianna, from For the Love of Baking, whipped up this Mango Frozen Yogurt using the latter technique and it is bursting with fruit and flavor. Mixing it with fruit is crucial, because yogurt does not usually react all that well to being frozen if you just pop a carton in to the freezer, and the more fruit you use, the better the final product will be. If you don't mind trying something a touch more time consuming, try going for the more traditional version instead.
Fruit tarts make a lovely, tasty dessert during the summer, in no small part because fresh fruit and berries are incredibly beautiful and the presentation is hard to beat. The fresh fruit choices for tarts don't have to be limited to raspberries and strawberries, as Fanny from Food Beam illustrates with her stunning Mango Tart, which was derived from Bill Granger's recipe in Sydney Food. The tart has a crumbly shortcrust base, almost like a shortbread biscuit, and is filled with a creamy, vanilla custard. The fresh, ripe mangoes are sliced into thin strips and layered on top, their flavor blending with the smooth custard and their texture contrasting nicely with the shell of the tart. Since the tart base can be prepared in advance, this is a relatively simple dessert that would make a lovely addition to any meal on a hot day. And if you can't resist using some more traditional berries, you can easily substitute them for the mango in this recipe.
Mango and poison ivy are members of the same family. They both contain a substance called urushiol (yu-roosh'-ee-all) which causes those annoying blisters and itches in some people. 
Ladies and gentlemen and Slashfood readers of all ages, put on your thinking caps and direct your attention to the photo at right. It's time to play name that utensil. 
For the first time in 18 years Indian Mangoes are going to be allowed into the US. As of last Friday the NY Times announced they are here and I am looking forward to them expectantly. India has over 1000 varieties of mangoes. They come in varying shapes, colors, and tastes. 
Del Monte's brand new Fruit Chillers line is sure to be a hit with both kids (and adults) this summer, even though it is a little on the cold side right now in most parts of the country. The Chillers are individual sorbet cups, but there are a couple of things that set them apart from the average individually portioned kids dessert. The first, and most important, thing is that they are made with real fruit purees, rather than concentrated juices that have artificial colorings and flavors added to them. In fact, there are no artificial flavors in them at all and they contain 100% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C (150% in the mango flavor) and 3/4 serving of fruit, based on the nutrition pyramid. The other interesting thing about these is that they are not found in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. They are packed sealed and unfrozen, so you can simply pop them in the freezer before you are ready to eat them. The Chillers are fat free and contain about 190 calories per 4.5-ounce serving.
Now and Later the hard taffy candy has two new flavors, Mango and Strawberry / Banana Split to their line-up of around 20 flavors. They are called Now and Later, as their slogan says, because they are "Hard 'N Fruity Now and Soft 'N Chewy Later." They are tough to chew at first, but then after a lot of work they eventually soften up a bit like a hard taffy.
Although research is still in preliminary stages, early results from a University of Queensland study presented at the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress indicated that compounds in mangoes may offer some surprising health benefits. They seem to act on the "same pathways that diabetes and cholesterol drugs target," blocking or activating receptors known as "peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors." These receptors play key rolls in people with diabetes and high cholesterol, but are also being linked with some types of cancer. If the mango compounds do target them, it is possible that the fruits could ease the effects of diabetes and high cholesterol, or even be able to combat cancerous cells.
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