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.

A sweet start - Phirnee

What is Phirnee? It's an Indian version of rice pudding that's flavoured with Indian spices and made with good Basmati rice. I use cardamom here.



This is my go to recipe for a not so greasy finale to an Indian meal when we entertain. It's easy to put together and tastes like you've spent hours on the stove making it, but it's actually a breeze to make!

I'm sure everyone has their own version of Phirnee.Why it's even spelled in a number of different ways - Firnee, Firni, Phrini and so on. But most recipes definitely have fragrant Basmati rice, milk and sugar as a base. Then you can put your own spin on it by varying the spices or adding nuts or dried fruit.

My mother makes a version of Phirnee that's rich but not in a cloying sort of way. Phirnee at home is a Sunday affair or reserved for special occasions when we have guests at home. A typical Sunday lunch would consist of Chicken Biryani, dry fried chicken, peppery mutton chops, some cucumber pachadi to help cool the taste buds from all the spices and chillies, plain steamed rice with pepper rasam to help digest the enormous meal!
But everybody still had room for Phirnee. My mother's Phirnee differs from the way I make it in many ways.She uses khova that imparts richness to the dish and helps thicken the phirnee. Khova is the result of heating milk on a slow steady flame for long hours with frequent stirring.She does not grind the rice to a paste and adds it whole instead.
Delicious as it was, it also took hours to make and the recipe devours quarts of whole milk, khova, sugar and ghee(clarified butter), cashew nuts and raisins all simmering away in a huge cauldron shaped vessel. It also needs constant attention like my 2 year old on a bicycle lest it should burn or turn out be lumpy. But it sure was a hit with everyone and she was constantly reminded and asked to bring some to parties and gatherings. My mum's a fabulous cook.



My version of Phirnee is quicker to make and can be whipped up with ingredients that are easily found in your pantry. It is not heavily spiced or calorie laden.But it sure puts a smile on your face.

It is essential that you use good quality Basmati rice as this is what brings out the "Indian-ness" of the dessert.

Recipe

Ingredients -

2 Litres Whole milk
1/4 cup Basmati rice
3/4 cup sugar
3-4 cardamom pods
1/4 cup Pistachio

Method

1)Bring the milk to a boil over a low flame. Take care so as to not burn the milk. It is advisable to use a thick bottomed vessel for this purpose.
Ensure that the vessel is larger in volume than the amount of Phirnee you intend to make.(the hot milk would overflow otherwise)
2)Wash the rice in cold running water. Drain the water and let the rice dry for a couple of minutes.Do not soak the rice in water as this would make the Phirnee gummy.
3)Grind the rice with a couple of teaspoons of cold water.The paste does not have to be too fine.It needs to be granular as this is what gives the Phirnee a slightly chewy and nutty texture.
4) Lower the flame and slowly add the rice paste to the milk stirring all the time to prevent any lumps in the Phirnee.
5)Let the rice cook in the milk and you will feel the consistency starting to change and thicken in about 5 minutes. Continue to stir. The rice needs to be thoroughly cooked but does not have to dissolve into a mush.
6)Add the sugar at this point.If the Phirnee is too thick you can add some milk to thin it out. Be warned that this dessert gets thicker on cooling. The final consistency when it is served should be creamy . Not too runny or stiff.
7)Remove the Cardamom husk/skin and powder the seeds.Turn off the flame and stir in the cardamom powder.
8)Let cool slightly before transferring to your serving dish.Chill for at least 4 hours or more in the refrigerator.
9)Before serving - mince the pistachio and sprinkle on top of the Phirnee.
Options - you could also turn this into a Rose Phirnee by omitting the cardamom and adding some Rose powder instead. Rose powder is made with edible rose petals that are dried and then ground to an ultra fine powder. Garnish with fresh edible rose petals or Gulkand (candied Rose petals). this results in beautiful ever so slight hue of pink that looks irresistible. A teaspoon
of Rose water or gulab jal makes it even rosier and fragrant.
You could add almonds instead of Pistachio.There are endless versions of the Phirnee that you can make with this basic recipe.

As an added note I served my Phirnee in earthen bowls or matkis.Matkis are made with clay and mud and it soaks up a lot of water helping the Phirnee set more easily and uniformly. It also lends an earthy flavour and aroma that I can't describe. It almost captures the essence and smell of fresh rain pouring down on the parched dry playground at school. Lovely.

If you do go out to buy some of these earthen bowls make sure you soak them in a bucket of water overnight to remove impurities, dust and grime.It also helps the matkis soak up some water so whatever you put into them isn't zapped out of moisture completely.