Mango Crisp

Saturday was my father-in-law's birthday, so we went over Sunday for lunch.  I made mango crisp for the family because his dad tends to like my baked goods. As we established in my last post, I'm probably better at baking than frying. I've looked at many different Crisp and Cobbler recipes, and they seem very flexible. This is the original recipe I came up with based on research for both- I wanted to make something delectable in my foolishness.Yes, I haven't learned yet not to experiment with something I've never made before. It's worked for me in the past, so I'm trying it again. After all, this wouldn't really be an enterprise if I wasn't challenging, right? Well, I gave this guinea pig a try Sunday, so Monday's is slightly different. Here's today's recipe:

Mango Crisp

Filling:

6 - 8 cups  diced mango or 4 - 5 ripe mangoes (or whatever is on hand to fill the pan)

1/4 cup rum (to 1/2 cup for more flavor)

2 tbsp lime juice (approx 1 lime)

1 cup sugar

1tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 tsp cinnamon

Crisp Topping:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Topping:
Mix dry topping ingredients in a bowl.  Stir in butter, set aside.

Filling:

Cook the water, white sugar, cornstarch, mangoes, lime juice, and cinnamon for about 20 mins. on low (after you bring to a boil). ** Note: if you want less liquid, add less liquid or more cornstarch**

This will create a more jelly like texture and reduce the water a little (It thickens after cooling from the oven). Mix in the rum, then pour into a greased 9" x 13"baking dish.
Twist a fork into the topping to fluff it up, and sprinkle the crumbs onto the fruit. The liquid from the fruit will have a thick but watery consistency, so large crumbs will sink in. Sprinkle entire mixture over the top. Put tinfoil under pan to catch drippings, bake it for 35-40 mins. on 375°  or until topping is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbly. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

 

We seriously had more than 25 mangoes at home. Jorge's grandfather has 3 trees bearing fruit right now. (Not all are pictured here)

 

I diced them, but you can slice them. I cut the two sides off center (the pit is in the center) and then scored them into squares, then I removed the flesh with a spoon from the skin. Then you'll want to get more flesh from around the pit.

 

 Jorge measured the dry topping ingredients here, and mixed them well before adding the melted butter.

I piled up the lime juice, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon on the mangoes, heating it just above medium until it boiled, then turning it to low for 20 minutes. I added the rum afterward, but you can do it however you like.

The topping next to the filling. The topping gets compact, so you'll want to fluff it up with a fork so you can sprinkle it on top and keep it aloft.

I did a quick spray with PAM but I suspect it's not necessary.

Ready to go into the oven.

Fresh out of the oven. See how the topping sinks in? You can omit the water, but I think it gives a nice sauce that mixes well with vanilla ice cream!

More sunken topping. It didn't affect the flavor, don't worry.

I used 5 ripe mangoes and it yielded about 7 cups. I would also like to try this with coconut milk instead of water, and shredded coconut and macadamias mixed in the topping. I suppose you could also use bananas and other tropical fruits... I think a tsp of vanilla would have added some charm, but then it's getting more like apple crisp than a tropical flair. Experiment as you please!