Looking through Wikibooks’ cookbook for more inspiration, I came across affogato, a dish whose name means literally “drowned” — you make it by drowning ice cream in coffee, with or without brandy. We didn’t have any brandy, though, and I had an uneasy feeling the main coffee drinker in our house would consider this a waste of it.
So, moving on, I discovered a recipe for Creme de papaya, a “delicious, refreshing, and simple Brazilian dessert” featuring blackcurrant liqueur. We didn’t have any of that, let alone any papayas, but we did have various other alcoholic drinks and, somehow, a lot of mangoes. And that was all the inspiration I needed.
This has a mild taste with a mild kick, and candied ginger makes a spicy garnish for it. Mine is homemade and very gingery, so it’s not for everyone. Cinnamon sugar, which is sometimes used to top affogato, would work too. I’ve also eaten this with chocolate chips, but I’d do that with anything vaguely sweet, so don’t mind me.
Mangoes are especially good for dishes like this because, as I’ve noted before, they’re pretty much a ready made, perfectly flavored, not too sweet dessert. It’s too bad most of us aren’t in a place where we can grow them in our gardens. My apples seem to be ripening early this year, though, so I’m not complaining.
For another simple frozen fruit dessert, give this Banana Frozen Yogurt a try.
- 1 cup slightly softened ice cream, your choice, but vanilla is good
- 1 ripe mango
- 1 Tb. whisky
- Candied ginger or other garnish (optional)
- Peel the mango and cut off the flesh, scraping the pit with the knife to get all of it.
- Cut mango flesh into small pieces.
- Put in food processor with ice cream and sprinkle whisky over all.
- Process till smooth.
- Serve immediately or return to freezer (let it soften a little again before eating).
- Before serving, garnish with candied ginger or whatever you prefer.
