Mangoes are the most beloved fruit in India and thus hold the proud title of India’s national fruit. You can find mango trees by the dozen in most places in India and gorging on the sweet and aromatic juices of a mango is one of the few pluses of this scorching Indian heat (temperature are almost touching 49°C/ 120 ° F!!).
Even though mangoes are grown in several places across the globe, Indian varieties are the most sought after with Alphonso (or Hapuz as known by Indians) topping the list.
Come April, and roadside vendors, fruit and vegetable markets are all flocked with this juicy fruit. And with the recent EU ban on Indian mangoes till December 2015 (seriously, what’s wrong with these people to ban such a popular fruit! ), prices of premium mangoes have decreased in local markets which is a sweet welcome for us mango lovers.
So its only fair that most is made of this green and yellow fruit while its season lasts till July and this Mango and Lime Tart gives this fruit absolute justice.
Growing up, I was not a fan of mangoes, mainly because they were so messy to eat and I always associated them with pimples. Not that I ever had an acne problem when I was younger, but having read so many articles that they can cause pimples I would stay away. These days, of course, its a different story. I am in love with the fruit. Even after a heavy meal that has left me with no space to breathe, if someone offers me a piece of the fruit, it becomes a very difficult task for me to refuse, and usually ends with me caving in to the greed of digging into the deliciousness that this fruit is.
My parents’ place has huge mango trees in the garden. Last year, the trees supplied a bountiful of juicy mangoes to their house. My dad says that generally the mango fruit harvests every other year. So if last year the tree bore plenty fruits, this year it will either bear very little fruit or absolutely none. So unfortunately for me, I will have to make to do with the supply from the local fruit market.
The best thing about this tart is that all the elements of it can be made ahead, thus making it a great addition to your table when you have guests over. Especially in this heat, you do not want to be slaving in the kitchen the day you have company coming to your home.
The mango lime curd can be made a day ahead, or two days ahead and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator. The day of serving, just mix it with the whipped cream and fill your tart.
You can also bake the tart a day ahead. It will stay fresh stored in a airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. If you are not going to make tart shells right away, you can freeze tart dough up to a month (some say two but why keep it that long) and use them as needed by defrosting it in a refrigerator over night. Just make sure you wrap it tightly and freeze.
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1¼ cup (190 gms) all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (140gms) powdered sugar
- 8 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
- a pinch salt
- 1 cup pureed mango ( I used the pulp of about 3 mangoes)
- Zest of 2 limes
- juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup (50 gms) sugar
- 1 yolk
- 1 large egg
- 113 gms ( 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut in tbsp size (cool but not too cold)
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4-5 drops of mango essence oil ( or about 1-2 tsp mango essence- depends on how flavorful your mangoes are to begin with - adjust accordingly)
- Whisk the yolk, cream and vanilla together.
- Place the flour, sugar, salt in a food processor. Combine. Add butter and pulse briefly until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolk, cream mixture. You can also use a pastry cutter if you do not have a food processor.
- Pulse again until the mixture sticks together in clumps then tip onto a work surface and gather it into a ball with your hands. Knead the pastry just two or three times to make it smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes wrapped well in cling wrap. You can roll out the dough right away, or flatten into a disc, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate until needed (freeze if you’d like to store it for the long term).
- When ready to roll, dust the counter and surface of the dough lightly with powdered sugar or flour or roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll the dough to ¼” thickness and roll the dough up and onto the pin, then unroll over the tart shell.
- Gently press the dough into the tart pan, breaking off any excess by pressing the dough firmly against the edge of the tart pan. Use any extra dough to patch up holes or thin spots.
- Use a fork to puncture the dough all over. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ gas 3.
- Remove the cling film from the pastry case and line with foil so it supports the sides, then fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is set, then lift out the foil and beans. Return the empty pastry case to the oven for another 10 minutes or until it is pale golden and completely dry. Let cool completely before filling.
- You can make the tart a day ahead. They will stay fresh stored in a airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. If you are not going to make tart shells right away, you can freeze tart dough up to 2 months and use them as needed by defrosting it in a refrigerator over night. Just make sure you wrap it tightly and freeze.
- In a double boiler, whisk all the ingredients listed under the mango whipped cream, except the butter and extracts. Whisk continuously 20 minutes, till thick. Test for doneness: coat the back of a wooden spoon with the custard, if you swipe a line and it stays intact, its done.
- Strain, if necessary and let cool. Add to blender and with the blender running, add butter a tbsp at a time, and whip it till all butter is incorporated. Let cool covered for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
- Whip ¼ cup whipping cream until thick and billowy. Add the refrigerated mango custard into cream and beat till soft peaks.
- Use the mango whipped cream to fill your tart. Decorate with fresh chopped mangoes as desired, and chill for an hour or so before serving.
Looking for more Mango recipes? Try these:
I love anything mango related as well and this tart, esp the mango whipped cream sounds divine.
A beautiful, beautiful tart!
indugetscooking recently posted..Mini Pavlova
Oh my – that looks exceptional and painstaking. You must have spent so much time decorating that! Exceptional!
Your recipe and photos are making my mouth water.
My husband would love this!!
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