I’ve had mangoes on my mind recently. Living with a fertile mango tree in your backyard for a month in Key West will do that to you.
While I was there recently, mangoes came pelting down so frequently each day that I certainly took them for granted. There are only so many mango slices and salsas one can eat, after all.
Now that I’m back in New York City however, I’m come to rather miss that tree. So when I happened to see a display of beautiful mangoes in Brooklyn shortly after my Let’s Lunch group decided to share a “Too Hot To Cook” dish for our June virtual lunch gathering, I started thinking …
Now, the mangoes I found in Brooklyn were nothing like the ones I harvested every morning in Key West. You can see how plump and gorgeous my Florida mangoes were.
And the tree they grew on was even more beautiful — and fragrant — at night.
Nonetheless, one must work with what one has.
I had a no-bake pie in mind for these mangoes — and it turns out that there’s a traditional Mexican mango pie that requires no baking.
It’s such a simple recipe that the hardest part is cutting up the mangoes into cubes — really, it’s that easy. (The recipe’s below.) And for a little nod to Key West — my new favorite place — I added a healthy dose of key lime juice to the pie filling.
When it comes to serving it, it’s great to have this pie with some whipped cream to temper the key lime if you’re not a fan of tart flavors. (Or, just use less key lime juice and substitute some water in for the liquid amount instead.)
How did it taste? Cool, zingy and just delicious. Truly lovely for a hot summer’s day.
In fact, this pie made me think of eating fresh oozy mangoes on my hot little porch down in Key West. Talk about perfection in a bite.
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Don’t forget to check out other Let’s Lunchers’ “Too Hot To Cook” dishes below! And if you’d like to join Let’s Lunch, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch — or, post a comment below.
Anne Marie‘s Lettuce Sandwich at Sandwich Surprise
Emma‘s Cheese Plate at Dreaming of Pots and Pans
Grace‘s Mung Bean Shaved Ice at HapaMama
Linda‘s Coconut Creamsicle Sodas at Free Range Cookies
Linda‘s Escape From San Francisco Picnic at Spicebox Travels
Lisa‘s Campari Granita at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s “The Girl in a Hat Goes on a Picnic” at A Cook and Her Books
Monica‘s Peanut Salad at A Life of Spice
Pat‘s Harvest Red Rice Salad at The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook
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Mango Key Lime Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 Graham cracker crust (I used Martha Stewart’s recipe.)
- 2 cups mango, cut into cubes
- 2 Knox gelatin envelopes
- 3/4 cup key lime juice (This is the brand you should use: Nellie & Joe’s.)
- 3/4 cup condensed milk
- Grated zest of 1 lime
Directions:
Dissolve gelatin in key lime juice, mixing well, then set aside for a few minutes. Then, microwave this mixture for 30 seconds and set aside.
Puree mangoes with condensed milk in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour gelatin mixture into the processor, straining through a sieve so you won’t have clumps in your pie mixture. Add half the lime zest as well. Blend well.
Pour into prepared pie crust, sprinkle remaining lime zest on top and refrigerate for two hours or until set. Serve with whipped cream.