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Ripe mango gives this spoon dessert its body and flavour. Lemon adds acidity and fragrance. With no gelatine or starch, the result is a soft cream rather than a firm pudding for unmoulding.

6 small portions. 15 minutes preparation and approximately 1 hour chilling.

Ingredients

• 600 g ripe mango flesh, peeled and stoned
• 200 ml single cream
• Up to 100 ml milk, only if needed for blending
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (30 ml)
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, avoiding the white pith
• 0–50 g sugar, depending on the sweetness of the mango
• 1 small pinch of salt, optional

Method

1. Wash the mangoes before peeling and weigh out 600 g flesh. Cut into pieces. Wash the lemon and zest it before squeezing the juice.
2. Blend the mango with the cream until smooth. If the blender cannot circulate the mixture, add milk gradually, up to 100 ml. Switch off before scraping down the sides.
3. Add the juice, zest and optional salt. Taste to adjust the sweetness, adding sugar gradually up to 50 g. Blend briefly to combine.
4. Divide between six small glasses, cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Serve chilled with a spoon. Chilling cools the mixture but does not turn it into a set jelly.

Fibrous mango or a thin cream

Choose ripe mangoes with little fibre. If needed, sieve the purée before mixing in the dairy ingredients. Use milk only to help the blender: too much liquid thins the cream. If the mango is especially juicy, serve a looser dessert rather than expecting extra chilling to correct it.

Storage

Keep covered in the fridge at 0–5°C and eat within 48 hours. Cool cooked food promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours, using shallow containers where needed. Mixing leftovers with new ingredients does not restart their storage time. Also follow any shorter use-by instructions on the packaging.

Storage guidance: Food Standards Agency.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace the mango with peach?

The fruit’s weight, water content and texture differ. Replacing two mangoes with two peaches will not necessarily give the same result; that variation needs an adjusted recipe.