Bilingual Blueberries: Mango and Blueberry Galette (or is it Crostada?)

I’ve got a friend who owns a bakery. She makes these wonderful dessert bites – little hors d’oeuvres that seem like they should be on display rather than eaten. I have neither the skill nor the patience for that. My desserts lean heavily towards the rustic. It doesn’t mean they are any less flavorful. But they are definitely meant to be eaten, not admired for their artistic quality. Read More

Recipe: Mango and Blueberry Galette

Cocktails for Dessert: Mango Margarita Sorbet

There’s nothing like an after-dinner cocktail. And there’s nothing like dessert. What’s the best of both worlds? Combining cocktails and dessert into one great offering.

Mangoes were on sale last week, and I had picked up a few without knowing what I was going to do with them. I had thought about making some frozen cocktails, but I was also having trouble coming up with a dessert for a casual dinner party last weekend. That’s how I decided to combine the two into Mango Margarita Sorbet.

If you don’t own an ice cream maker, I think you should. I use mine all the time. I don’t think I’ve actually bought ice cream in years. If it’s too much of an investment to purchase a new one, check out Craigslist or E-bay to see if you can find a deal - and use it. There is nothing like homemade ice cream and sorbet. And they are easy to make. It takes 10 or 15 minutes of active preparation, then just some waiting.

The mango sorbet is quite refreshing. As you can see from the picture, I served it with a couple of orange shortbread cookie sticks (that need a little more work before sharing the recipe). If you’re concerned about having a family-friendly dessert, just omit the tequila and substitute orange juice for the orange liqueur. The alcohol keeps the sorbet from freezing too hard, so the absence of it will probably make the sorbet freeze a little harder.

I also didn’t have any limes, or I would have served the sorbet with a wedge that could be squeezed over the top before eating. The acid in the lime juice would cut through a little of the sweetness of the sorbet and round out the flavors.

Not Quite Cinco de Mayo, But Close Enough for Shrimp and Mango Ceviche

So I know this week is supposed to celebrate the Mexican battle victory, and that you usually see a bevy of authentic Mexican foods on May 5th, but I didn’t feel like actually heating up the kitchen with the stove (it’s just too hot outside). So I broadened the definition of ‘Mexican food’ to include some other Latin cuisines. What I ended up with was Shrimp and Mango Ceviche and a side of Black Bean Salad for Cuatro de Mayo (sorry, but I have to work on the 5th).

After looking through the freezer, I had narrowed the ceviche choices down to either shrimp or tilapia (I didn’t think that salmon ceviche sounded all that appetizing – and even less authentic than the ceviche concept itself). I think the tilapia would have worked fine, but settled on the shrimp because I thought it would retain its shape better in the citrus juice. By the time I had it plated, it looked much more expensive than the 6 bucks I spent on four servings – and more importantly, it tasted like more than $6.

The black beans were a nice compliment to the sharpness of the ceviche. I purposely used less dressing with the beans than I would normally in a salad – just because I knew the ceviche would be so sharp to begin with.

Of course, if money weren’t an issue, I probably would have used sushi-grade tuna instead, but for farm raised and frozen, the shrimp was OK. You just have to be really careful when you’re eating raw fish – you don’t want to take any chances. I mean, if you’re going to be sick on Cinco de Mayo, then it should be because of the excess of Coronas you drank, right?