Recipe - Mango Ice Cream

Last week we purchased 4 honey mangos from the market without any real plan for them. I had been thinking of mango ice cream a little bit, but was open to further suggestions. Having received none, I went ahead with the ice cream. It turned out really well. Here's what I did:

2 cups ripe mango, peeled, diced
1.5 cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cups milk
5 egg yolks
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup coconut milk

1) Combine mango, 1/2 cup sugar and lime juice in a non-metallic bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2) Make a custard by scalding the milk in a 2 quart saucepan.

3) Whisk the egg yolks together with 3/4 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl so that the result is smooth. Add the warmed milk in a thin, steady stream while whisking (to do this, I put the milk into a measuring cup first). Return the mixture to the pan and continue to cook, whisking so that the mixture does not come to a boil again. Do this until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon - about 3 minutes.

4) Put the custard into a clean bowl. Put that bowl into a another bowl filled with ice and water. Put those bowls into the refrigerator and let cool completely - at least an hour. If you cannot do the ice water bath, then just put it in the coldest part of the refrigerator until it is cold. The colder it is the quicker your maker will make the ice cream.

5) Stir the mango mixture into the custard mixture. Stir in the cream and the coconut milk. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if desired (this was plenty sweet for me). Freeze in an electric or crank ice cream maker, according to the maker's instructions. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

I served mine over top shortcakes - the type one uses for strawberries. Just slice a shortcake in half. Put each half in a bowl. Top with Mango Ice Cream. Yum!