Mango Ice Cream Sundae {With Honey Roasted Cashews, Raspberries And Chocolate}

Drop what you’re doing and just ogle at this beauty, will ‘ya? You know you want it, I know you do! This is my second homemade ice cream recipe for this season and I went all out this time. Last month, I tried my hand at a vegan coconut milk version, but seriously, if you are going to have ice cream anyway, this is the way to do it. Luscious mango ice cream served as a sundae with fresh raspberries, crunchy cashew nuts and a generous drizzle of chocolate sauce. It is not intended for the faint-hearted.

This month’s theme for our little blogger buddy group was frozen treats. The combination of summer, ice cream and an all-Indian blogger group can lead to only one thing – mango ice cream. I so badly wanted to make kulfis, but since I already have a mango kulfi recipe on the blog, I decided it was time for something new.

Mangoes are here in all their juicy glory, though I sorely miss the abundance of varieties back home. The mangoes here are somewhat lighter in color which is reflected in the ice cream. If you are a lucky soul who lives in the tropics, please choose the brightest, sweetest variety for this ice cream. Back home in India, “mango” is a color in itself and I remember me and mom scouring the shops for the perfect mango-hued saris and ethnic wear. That’s how much we love them! Yet I refrained from adding any color to my ice cream because I like to keep it natural.

There are many ways you can go about making ice cream at home. I still do not own an ice cream maker and honestly, I don’t feel I need to. You are anyway going to spend a little effort remembering to pre-chill the bowl and churning the ice cream in the machine, so why not spend that effort the old-fashioned way? Just break up and whip/blend the semi-frozen ice cream once or twice and then let it freeze overnight. If you have used enough fat in your recipe, the ice cream will turn out smooth and delicious. And another thing, I have never used eggs in my ice cream. None of the double-boiler and “please don’t let the eggs scramble, dear God” prayer routine in my kitchen. Just some fatty milk/cream, sweetener and lots of fresh mangoes in my ice cream.

So, there are a couple of ways you can make an eggless (egg-free), no-churn ice cream. My all-time favorite, fail-proof method is to make a basic milk custard using whole milk, sugar and cornstarch. Add  a bit of vanilla, cocoa powder or fruit pulp and you end up with flavored ice cream. You can read all about that process here.

If you are looking for a no-cook version (even better in the warmer months), then a can of condensed milk and some evaporated milk will work, like I did with this batch of coffee ice cream last summer. I decided to follow along the lines of that recipe, but I needed to tweak it a little bit. I felt the ice cream could be improved with a touch more creaminess and used half and half instead of evaporated milk. If you do not get half and half where you live, feel free to use regular milk cream.

I wanted to do a sort of mango split with fresh mango slices, ice cream and some sort of sauce. But then I went grocery shopping and found some juicy raspberries and just like that, I made up another recipe. Mango ice cream sundae with fresh raspberries, nuts and chocolate sauce.

And not just any kind of nut, we are talking super delicious honey-roasted cashew nuts with a touch of cayenne on them. Yes, I’m bad like that! I think these cashew nuts just may have outshone the ice cream. Or maybe not. They are all friends and agree to hang out deliciously in the same bowl.

I know you are drooling by now. So, here’s the recipe. The recipe has a few components like the ice cream, roasted cashew nuts and finally, the sundae. I have given clear headings for each component for your convenience. Enjoy!

MANGO ICE CREAM SUNDAE

MANGO ICE CREAM

You will need: (Makes 6 cups)

• Ripe mangoes – 3 large or 4 medium mangoes
• Half and half or heavy cream – 2 cups
• Sweetened condensed milk – 1 cup
• Powdered sugar – 1/2 cup (or as needed, depending on the sweetness of the mangoes)

How to:

• Peel and slice the mangoes. Blend them to  a pulp. Strain this pulp if the mangoes are too fibrous. I had slightly more than 3 cups of strained pulp. You can use 3 cups of canned pulp as well.
• In a large blender, combine the half and half, condensed milk and mango pulp, adding powdered sugar as required. We add powdered sugar since it dissolves easily and you will not end up with a grainy texture. You can also do this in a large mixing bowl with a whisk or hand-held beater.
• Pour the mango ice cream mixture into a freezer safe bowl. Cover and freeze for 1-2 hours till the edges begin to freeze. Take the ice cream out and break it up. Blend/whisk till creamy and return to the bowl. You can do this partial-freeze/blend routine once more if you have time, otherwise simply freeze the ice cream for 6-8 hours or overnight.
• Let ice cream stand on the counter-top for 4-5 minutes before scooping and serving.

Notes:

• You may not need any extra sugar if you are using sweetened canned mango pulp. But honestly, the flavor of canned pulp leaves something to be desired and I would encourage you to use fresh, ripe mangoes.
• I used a 9″x5″ loaf pan to freeze the ice cream. Since it doesn’t have a lid, I placed a piece of cling wrap touching the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming. Then I wrapped it again in cling wrap and stuck it in the freezer. Worked like a charm!

HONEY ROASTED CASHEW NUTS

You will need: (Makes 1 cup)

• Butter – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Cashew nuts – 1 cup
• Honey – 2 tbsp
• Cayenne pepper powder – a pinch (or as per taste)
• Salt – to taste

How to:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg.F and line an 8″ or 9″ baking pan with foil. Place butter in the pan and melt it in the oven.
• Meanwhile, combine the cashew nuts with honey till all the nuts are coated with the honey and sticky to touch. Sprinkle cayenne powder over them. Transfer to the hot baking pan and toss with the butter. Spread the cashew nuts in a single layer and bake for 8-10 minutes or till they are golden brown.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle some salt over them. Cool in pan for a couple of minutes, then remove to a plate and cool completely. Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes:

• Needless to say, this recipe can be easily scaled up. The honey-roasted cashew nuts with a touch of cayenne are a great snack and you will definitely want to make more!

MANGO ICE CREAM SUNDAE

You will need: (For 1 serving)

• Mango ice cream – 3 small scoops
• Fresh raspberries – 5-6
• Honey-roasted cashew nuts – 6-8
• Chocolate sauce – to drizzle on top

How to:

• Place the scoops of ice cream in a bowl or dessert plate. Scatter the berries and cashew nuts on top. Generously drizzle chocolate sauce on top. Repeat for as many servings as you need. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• Feel free to play around with the fruits, nuts and sauces while building your sundae. This mango ice cream works beautifully with a few slices of fresh mango, coconut flakes and maybe some caramel sauce too. Yum!

The mango ice cream is good all by itself. But I really really encourage you to try this sundae combo. Unlike the previous dessert fiasco, this one received rave reviews from the lil’ guy. Bliss!

There’s something magical about the sweet and creamy ice cream, slightly tart berries, crunchy nuts with a hint of spice and the melted chocolate that makes for a very satisfying mouthful. Try it!

Tell me, do you make ice cream at home? What is your favorite flavor? How do you build a quick sundae? Do share.

To see what the rest of the team has come up with, please visit Dolphia, Sujatha, Subhasmita and Jyothi.

Here’s a recap of the monthly themed posts so far from our little blogging group.

• March 2015 – Beverages/Cocktails: Sunrise Mocktail
• February 2015 – Snacks: Masala Vada And Elaichi Chai {Spicy Lentil Fritters And Cardamom Tea}

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