Key Lime Mascarpone in Puff Pastry with Mango Puree

Key Lime Mascarpone in Puff Pastry with Mango Puree

Key Lime Mascarpone in Puff Pastry with Mango Puree

by Victoria Challancin

I live in a land of mangoes.  Replete with mangoes.  Luscious, perfumed mangoes.  Ataulfos.  Manilas. Criollos.  Paraisos.  Petacones.  And so many more.  The mangoes of India may be a culinary wonder, but those of Mexico aren't far behind.  


The growing season of the various mangoes is just staggered enough to give us a long season, and to give me personally enough time to seek out new ways to use them.  When I found this recipe on keyingredient.com, where it was first published in November of 2010 by site member Texas Chef 09,  I knew it was a winner.  Easy, fast, pretty (if you take the time to properly pipe the filling as the Texas Chef did!), and delicious.  Once again, what's not to love?

I used this recipe in a cooking class for Mexican cooks using a delicious puff pastry made by the local bakery La Buena Vida.  We formed square baskets rather reminiscent of log cabins, but you could use any shape you like.  I demonstrated square baskets formed by pushing a square of puff pastry into a muffin tin with the four corners sticking out as well.  Round, square, or even triangles--whichever you choose, you can have a light, fresh, pretty dessert on the table very quickly.  


I even like the idea of baking triangular dessert empanadas filled with the Key Lime Mascarpone mixture and sauced with the Mango Puree. Yum...

Cook's Notes:  I used fresh lime juice from Mexican limes and Ataulfo mangoes.  I also found the instructions that I copied as written on the keyingredient.com site useless.  Let me know if they make sense to you!  I just made baskets as I have done before by cutting strips of pastry and using an egg wash as glue to stick them to a square base, forming a rim.

Key Lime Mascarpone in Puff Pastry with Mango Puree 

(Recipe from keyingredient.com)

For the filling: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest 4 tablespoons bottled Key lime juice  or 5 table spoons fresh lime juice 1 cup mascarpone cheese (about 1/2 pound) 1 package puff pastry, thawed For the mango puree: 3 ripe mangoes (each about 3/4 pound) 2 tables fresh lime juice, or to taste 1 tablespoons superfine sugar, or to taste

Make the mango puree: Peel and cut flesh from mangoes, discarding pits. In a blender or food processor purée mango with remaining ingredients until smooth. Force purée through a fine sieve into a bowl. Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

Bake the puff pastry shells:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry with a little flour. Cut 4 squares of each (Do 8 in total) Starting in the middle of one side of the square, cut a ½ inch border to the middle of the next side (one corner of the square). Repeat on the diagonal corner. Take the border and place on the diagonal. Repeat with the second side. Brush the puff pastry squares with a beaten egg. Put in oven for 20 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Make filling:  In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream cheese with sugar, zest, and lime juice until smooth and beat in mascarpone. Chill filling, covered, until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Assemble dessert:  Whisk filling and transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch plain or decorative tip. Carefully pipe filling into puff pastry baskets . Put mango sauce into a squeeze bottle or drizzle about ¼ cup mango sauce onto each of 6 dessert plates, tilting plate to distribute sauce evenly.

Enjoy!

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, México

@Victoria Challancin. All Rights Reserved.