Mango Ice Cream

 

I miss our "mamang sorbetero" (ice cream vendor) who peddled his wares on our street. He would always ring his handbell in front of our house and shout "merong mangga!" which meant that he had mango flavor on that day. You see, it was always different - sometimes, it would be coconut, cheese, avocado, chocolate, ube (purple yam), strawberry... the list goes on and on. 

Photo credit: www.pbase.com

They are called "dirty" ice cream because these vendors would sell it on the street, exposing it to pollution and other elements. It's not as creamy and smooth as branded ice cream, but it's cheap, and as a kid, it was all we could afford with our paltry allowance. 

Andrew Zimmern featured dirty ice cream on his show Bizarre Foods. He tried purple yam and cheese in a bun, which is normal fare to Filipinos, but is totally bizarre for Westerners. (Click here to watch the video).

Anyway... all this to say that I miss mango ice cream, hence I decided to make some. ;-)

What you need:

• 2 ripe mangoes
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

Slice the mangoes into smaller pieces. Save about 1/4 of the slices in a small bowl. Put the rest in a blender and puree it. 

Place the pureed mango in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours.

Beat the eggs until light and fluffy, incorporating the sugar by adding it in a thin stream while beating.

In a saucepan over low heat, scald the milk. Keep an eye on it - you have to remove it from the heat the minute it starts boiling. Pour the hot milk over the beaten eggs and stir well. Put the mixture back to the saucepan over low heat. Do not let the mixture boil - test the thickness by coating the back of a spoon with the mixture and running your finger across it. If it has reached the nappe stage (which is what we want), then it should hold and produce a clean line (like this). Remove from heat. Place in an airtight container and chill for at least 3 hours.

Add the mango puree to the milk mixture. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Pour into the cream maker and process according to unit's instructions. About 10 minutes before the set time, add the mango bits that you set aside. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze overnight.

 
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Add mango flavoring for a more stronger taste.
2. The liquid should be as cold as possible before putting it in the ice cream maker. Be sure to chill it.
3. If you want very large chunks of mangoes (instead of small bits), wait till the mixture is done churning and fold in the chunks.