Ode to the Mango (With Recipes)

Ever since I read the novel, "The Mango Season" by Amulya Malladi, my interest in the magnificent Indian mango has piqued. India has a whole season dedicated to this illustrious fruit, which was detailed vividly in Malladi's novel. The novel's protagonist returns home during mango season to break the news to her family that she's in fact marrying an American and not an Indian boy via arranged marriage. Family drama aside, I was enraptured with all of the details about the process of making mango pickle, which is salted and cured raw green mango with spices. It's sold in jars at the Indian grocery stores and my darling husband likes to eat it with his curd (yogurt) rice.

India has a huge variety of mangoes, the divine "King of Fruits." From what I have read, the Alphonso mango is the most highly coveted. I have been checking into our local Indian stores to see if I can get my hands on any of these mangoes. What I have mostly discovered, however, is that I can only find the Mexican or Filipino mango, which are great, but not what I am looking for. The Indian mangoes are sweet, juicy, and an all around flavor fest in your mouth. I prefer to eat mine a little chilled. 

The different varieties of mangoes found in India

I told one of my assistant teachers that I was on the hunt for this fruit and lo and behold, one day she shows up with an entire flat of Indian mangoes! Ashwin and I were both thrilled with our new treats but we had so many of them that we didn't know what to do. We ate a couple of them but they quickly began to ripen, bordering on overripe, so we cut them up and froze them to be used at a later date. 

Fast forward a few weeks and Ashwin forwarded me a recipe for mango cupcakes, which are actually vegan! A cupcake cannot be without frosting so I was on the hunt for a frosting recipe that would have complimentary flavors for it. I stumbled across a website that was exactly what I was looking for. I used their handy chart to come up with ideas for frosting for the mango cupcake.

A genius food pairing chart for mango

Based on the chart, rosemary pairs very nicely with mango, thus the idea for rosemary frosting was born, as Ashwin and I have a small rosemary plant on our balcony. A quick Internet search turned up a recipe for "Rosemary Buttercream Frosting," which sounded simple and delicious. I apologize, but unlike the cupcake recipe, the frosting recipe is not vegan. 

The frosting paired beautifully with the mango cupcake, which was light, fluffy, and not too sweet. The buttery rosemary topping accentuates the slightly spicy cake. I attempted to lightly frost the cupcakes, as I wanted all flavors to be noticed. Nothing is worse than a cupcake or any dessert for that matter that only tastes like its accent topping. 

Here are the recipes for both the mango cupcakes and the rosemary buttercream frosting. Enjoy!

Mango cupcakes - yields approx. 12 fluffy topped cupcakes

All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups

Baking powder- 2 tbsp

salt- 1/2 tbsp

cardamom powder- 1-2 tbsp (I like more cardamom in mine)

granulated sugar-2/3 cups

mango puree- 1 1/2 cups

canola oil- 1/3 cups

vanilla - 1 tbsp

Pre heat the oven at 350F.

Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and mix them till there are no lumps.

Pour into cups and bake for 20-- 27 mins until toothpick inserted came out clean.

After that take off from oven and allow it to cool for 10 mins and enjoy the cupcakes.

Rosemary Buttercream Frosting - Yields approximately 2 cups of frosting, depending on how much butter/ powdered sugar you add to the recipe.

2-4 sticks of butter

1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp of vanilla

3-4 sprigs of rosemary

Melt down two sticks of butter in saucepan and add the rosemary sprigs. Let these boil for a good 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and leave over night to infuse.

Re-melt butter and strain the rosemary sprigs out. Place in refrigerator until the butter thickens up a bit. I left mine in for about 30 minutes. You don't want it solid but a little congealed. Add in 1-2 sticks of butter to the infused butter, along with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until smooth. I would recommend placing it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit before attempting to frost your cupcakes (or any other treat you use the frosting on). 

An Empty Table - Missing My Grandparents

Forgive my lapse in writing, as the last few months have been difficult. My grandmother Margaret, who I was very close to, passed away on February 2, after succumbing to an illness that had wore her down for the last 9 years. She died a couple of weeks before my 29th birthday, which was the same weekend of her memorial service. This birthday was horrible for various reasons - I think the main one being that I missed her something terrible. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly the previous August and I was still dealing with that when she passed.

My grandmother and I 

I’m still missing her a lot, especially since I am beginning to feel like I didn't really know her. Sure, I know a lot about her, but my grandmother was very private, and I don’t really know how she thought or felt about a lot of things. I am trying to remember all of the conversations that we had and the important things that we talked about but I am struggling to remember. I do remember, however, that she always had something insightful and wise to say, no matter what the topic of conversation was.

I remember that she was always writing in those spiral bound notebooks. There were dozens of these notebooks, neatly stacked on her end of the dining table and in her office. I know she kept journals but I've never read them. I am hoping that my mom decides to let me read them, as I’d love to know the innermost workings of her mind.

She was an elegant writer, who always sent beautiful greeting cards penned in her graceful handwriting. I had received dozens of greeting cards from her over the years - for birthdays, graduations, Jewish holidays, and most recently, my engagement and wedding. I wish I could say that I saved every one of them but I didn't. It too is something that I wish I could change.

When I think about her, two images come to my mind the most. One is of her at her seat at the end of the dining table, where she would do everything from write, read the newspaper, pay bills, or just gaze out the window. It was the first place she sat in the morning with her cup of coffee. My grandfather, of course, would join her on his end of the dining table, coffee in hand. They did many things in tandem like this.

My grandparents with Brendan before a high school dance

The other image that comes to mind of my grandmother is of her in the kitchen. When she wasn't seated at the dining table with my grandfather, she was in the kitchen, creating something fabulous. Even if she was creating something simple, it would still be fantastic. I lived with my grandparents on and off for a years - the first time when I was 16 years and finishing up high school. The next round was when I was in my senior year of college and had just returned from living in New York. Many of my memories of living with them revolved around the kitchen table, where we shared dinner 99% of the time that I lived there. These were some of many favorite moments, especially in the second stay, when I was an adult and could have interesting conversations them about what I was learning in my classes, recent events, or old stories.

I wish I would have taken the time to learn cooking and recipes from my grandmother. At the time, I didn't have much of an interest in cooking or baking, but I do wish I would have just stopped for a few moments to learn something from her. I do remember calling her from New York to get her famous spaghetti sauce recipe, which is hands down some of the best sauce I've ever eaten. Perhaps one of my aunts or mother remembers the recipe. Some of my favorite things that my grandmother prepared were spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, icebox cake, meatloaf, and the various holiday cookies and treats that she always prepared. She also made a great homemade pizza that I always looked forward to. Whatever she cooked, it was simple but delicious, probably because it was made with love and grace. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't learn more from her while she was still here and healthy.

My grandmother and I in September 2001, when she was still healthy

What I did learn from her, however, was quite a lot and will stay with me for the rest of my life. I know I have acquired my love of the written word - both reading and writing - from her (and my grandfather). I believe I also inherited my grandmother’s elegant penmanship, which I love to use on the various greeting cards that I now send out. I learned the importance of sitting at the dining or kitchen table at the end of the day and just catching up with each other. She taught me the importance of recipes and cookbooks, but of also just “winging it” when it comes to creating something new. We both share a love of Julia Child. One of my most treasured possessions is the set of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” that Grandma gave me for Christmas/Hanukkah one year.

Just a few of the many books by and about Julia Child

I miss my grandmother (and grandfather) so very much. The dynamic in my family has definitely shifted, as I feel we no longer have a “home base” for all our family get-togethers, holiday parties, and last minute reunions. Sure, my grandparents’ house still stands, but without them there to fill it with the energy and love that they did, it’s not the same. This coming holiday season will be quite an adjustment, as it will be the first one without any of my grandparents. My life feels different without them, like I am missing something. And the world is missing two of the most wonderful people that anyone could have ever known.