Mango Mousse with Saffron and Pistachio

I'm happiest when I bake a batch of cookies or whip up a good dessert. It's magical to see a few ingredients that were just lying on your table turn into something as luscious as the Alphonso mango mousse that I made yesterday. At 2 a.m no doubt. For those of you who know me real well, it shouldn't surprise you at all.(read CBD)



When I fall asleep at night my brain is usually clicking away thinking about flavors and combinations and cool new ideas to experiment with in my kitchen. It's more interesting than counting sheep. Trust me - try it and you'll find going to bed on a sweet note helps.

Discovered this beautiful bottle of organic Alphonso mango puree. Divine just by itself. It's being made and sold by AshtaVinayak Farms. One tiny taste and you can tell that it's good stuff. Amazingly good stuff, sans that metallic taste which I swear I can detect sometimes in canned fruit and it has the most gorgeous vivid orange you can imagine. It's liquid gold. That's what it is.

The mousse turned out perfect. Of course it should when you follow the recipe on this fairytale blog Tartelette by Helen - genius beyond compare . I then topped it with a saffron and mango sauce. Chopped pistachios were added for a difference in texture and a whopping green that contrasted perfectly against the mango-ey orange color.



The recipe for the Mango Saffron sauce is as below. Any modifications for the mousse recipe from my end? None, except that I always (out of a habit mostly) strain the fruit puree after adding in the gelatin. Just to catch any lumps and grits. Follow the original recipe for the mousse. The mango sauce goes on the mousse after the mousse has firmed up a bit(this about 2-3 hours in the fridge). Return to the fridge after topping the mousse with the sauce and chill for at least 4 - 6 hrs or until firm. The nuts are added just before serving or they'll end up being soggy.

This was very easy to put together. The mousse was delicious - light and airy. Ringing with the Alphonso goodness. Definitely going to be making this again. More than once for sure.



Here are some additional notes for my readers who are making a mousse for the very first time.

You don't need an electric beater to whip the cream. So don't fret if you don't have one.(It helps a LOT though).I have whipped cream using just a hand whisk and it works just fine. It just takes a little longer and more muscle effort.
Make sure that the cream is well chilled. And if you live in an area where it's exceptionally warm, use an ice bath to hold the bowl in which you whip the cream to help the cream whip up easily.
Gelatin dissolves better when left to bloom. To bloom gelatin add water and allow it to rest and absorb the water. The crystals will be spongy and water laden. This takes about 10 mins.



Recipe

Saffron Mango Sauce

Ingredients

10 strands of good saffron
1 tbsp of hot milk
4 tbsp of mango puree

Method

You can make this sauce right after you make the mousse. Chill the sauce until the mousse has firmed up a bit, top it with a layer of the sauce and return to the fridge to chill for 6 hours or until firm.
Soak the saffron in the hot milk for 20 mins. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Mix in the mango puree. If the fruit that you're using is not sweet enough, add a tsp of sugar.

And now you're in mango heaven. Amen.