Mango pudding—cool,smooth,sweet

Left with a few more mangoes at my disposal, and a craving for something cool to offset the Houston heat, I naturally thought of mango pudding. Aside from requiring very few ingredients, it’s super easy to make. The hardest part is probably resisting the urge to dig in while patiently waiting for the pudding to firm up.
In the end, it all pays off—the fresh chunks of mango mixed in with the smooth jelly results in a satisfying summer treat. Given the natural sweetness of ripe mangoes, little additional sweetening is needed. The nice presentation is a plus. I poured it into a rounded square casserole-type dish, but this dessert can certainly be split up into single-serving-sized ramekins. Any way you decide to serve it, don’t expect it to last! The only fault with this recipe is that it isn’t vegetarian (and by extension, vegan) –friendly due to the gelatin. However, I’ll be tweaking this recipe throughout the summer once I secure some fruit pectin!

Easy Mango Pudding--serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 packets of unflavored gelatin (.25 oz each)
•  3/4 cup water
• 4 ripe mangoes (i.e. Tommy Atkins)
• 3/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

Directions:

1.  Add the water to a small pot. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water and let sit for about 5 minutes. Once the gelatin has softened, turn on the stove to medium high, stirring occasionally until the gelatin turns clear. Turn down the stove to low heat. 
2.  Peel and cube 3 of the 4 mangoes, set aside in a large bowl. Peel the last mango and cut the fruit into large sections. Place in a blender along with the yogurt and blend on medium-low until smooth. 
3. Pour the yogurt mixture into the bowl of mango chunks and stir to mix. Then, while stirring, slowly pour in the gelatin. Ensure mixture is thoroughly combined.
4. Grease container(s) of choice, then pour pudding mixture into container(s). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Prior to serving, check that pudding has firmed up.
5. To serve: invert container(s) onto plate, garnish if so desired, and enjoy! *I used frozen berries and black sesame with yogurt, though caramel and honey (below) is also good!