Coconut Mango Rice Pudding

Sean recently picked up the last few mangoes of the summer season which had been ripening and waiting to be eaten.  Inspired by Katie's rice pudding recipe from USA Rice Federation, I decided to make up a rice pudding recipe of my own.  I love coconut milk, and it paired perfectly with the fresh mango and ginger.  With a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and cream, combined it was the perfect light comfort dessert. 

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh mangoes, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (I used full fat)
• 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, plus a few tablespoons extra to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 3 cups cooked white rice (about one cup of dry rice cooked)

 
Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, bring the coconut milk, half and half, and cinnamon just to a boil, over medium heat.   

Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and whisk until melted.  Turn the  heat down to medium low.  Add the ginger.  Stir the mixture frequently for about 10 minutes or until thickened.  

Remove from heat.  Mix in the rice, mango, and salt, and taste for more seasoning. 

Preheat your oven to a broil, and spray 6-8 ramekins (or a 10 inch square pan) with non-stick cooking spray.   Spoon even amounts of pudding into each ramekin and then sprinkle rest of the brown sugar on top of each cup.  

Place in the oven until the sugar starts to bubble on top.  Remove from the oven, and serve warm.  This dessert is rich but still feels light and creamy from the coconut milk flavor, and the mango adds some bright acidity to the dish.  It definitely reminds you of the flavors of summer!

Mango Salsa

This is a sweet and spicy salsa that is great for the summer when fresh mangoes are in season.  There are no tomatoes in it but it still captures much of the same flavor from the jalapeno, red onion, garlic, lime juice and cilantro.  We also added diced cucumber to give it some crunch and balance out the cayenne pepper.  It started out a little sweet, but by the next day all of the flavors had melded together and it was balanced and delicious.  This salsa is great with chips, but it would also be delicious on a piece of salmon or pork. 

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango, diced (not too ripe though or it will turn into mush)

1/4 cup minced red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced (seed it first if you are worried about the spiciness)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

2 limes, juiced

1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce (or use 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:

Chop all ingredients as listed above.  

The mango was the hardest, as ours was a little too ripe.  The easiest way to do it is to peel the skin off and score the flesh of the mango with your knife into small squares.  Then slice the fruit off and it will already be cut into small pieces.  Mix everything together and chill until ready to serve.  

 Taste it to see if you need to add more heat according to your taste. As I said, it is definitely better the day after making.  Enjoy!