Layered mango custard
Jump to RecipeMoving to Toronto, Canada, from Dominica as a teenager was a defining moment in my life. I was old enough to feel nostalgic about what I was leaving behind and young enough to understand how my new environment would help shape my life. There were lots to look forward to, and I was excited to explore my new surroundings and create a new life with different experiences.
One of the most gratifying experiences of my high school years was visiting shops, markets, and eateries. Since I had secured my first Canadian job as cashier and a weekend hostess at a popular food chain, I took pride in treating myself and making regular pit stops at area shops and eateries. Sometimes, I traveled with my family or my friends. Most of my exploration of the city was with my friend (from Dominica) and schoolmate Sylvia. She had a red sports car at the time. The passenger door was defective, but we got lots of mileage on that car. We had wheels, so we traveled.
On one of my many excursions, I stumbled on this pudding custard-like Italian dessert with strawberry purée on top. It was delightful! The pudding was packed with vanilla and, combined with the fruit, it was pure euphoria.
Since I may not create it authentically as it’s done in the Italian tradition, won’t call it by its Italian name, instead I’ll refer to this version as layered mango custard. I’m using mango, a very common fruit in Dominica, so that folks can easily recreate it on the island.
Here’s how I made it with help from some online sources.
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Layered mango custard
Ingredients
For pudding/custard
- 1½ tbsp Gelatin You can use custard if you don't have gelatin.
- 3 cups Heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups Milk
- Sugar to taste I used ⅓cup for this
- 6 tbsp Water
- 1½ tbsp Vanilla extracts vanilla essence
- Mint for garnish
- Small mango chunks for garnish
For mango topping
- Mango chunks I used the frozen ones, and pureed them at room temperature. A bag of the chunks will work.
- Optional You can use the puree as is or set it using gelatin
- 1 tbsp Gelatin
- 5 tbsp of water
- Sugar to taste
Instructions
For the pudding custard
- Combine water and gelatin in a bowl
- Let it rest for about 7-10 minutes
- Combine cream, milk and sugar and heat for a few minutes until all the sugar melts. Do not boil.
- Take it off the stovetop and let it rest for about 5 minutes
- Add gelatin mixture and stir. Add vanilla essence.
- Pour mixture into small glasses at an angle. It's really rich so the smaller glasses will help reduce the serving.
- Transfer to refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 4 hours. ( I kept mine in the refrigerator overnight) Please don't put it in the freezer.
For the mango puree
- When you're ready to add the mango purée to the top of the pudding, you can then start the process of preparing the puree
- Using a blender or hand help mixer, purée mango chunks/slices
- Strain purée for a finer consistency
- You can use puree as is or you can add some sugar for a little more sweetness
To make the puree like pudding
- Add sugar to puree
- Transfer to a stove top and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from stovetop
- Add gelatin mixture and stir consistently
- Remove chilled creamy custard from refrigerator and add mango puree mixture to the top of it
- Chill for a minimum of 2 hours (longer is better)
- Garnish with mint and small mango pieces and serve
You have some skills madam, keep up the good work. A good meal brings joy to everybody.
Hi George!
Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
Please reach out if you have any questions about the recipe or Dominican foods.
Thanks.
Regards,
Mayma
Hello, I would like to make this recipe but would like to use fresh mangoes. Could you advise how many medium/large sized mangoes I would need.
Hi Marcella! How are you? Fresh mangoes are ideal. I’m not sure which ones or size you’ll be using, but I’d go with measuring the size of the glass you’d be using. That can help you determine how much mango you’ll need. The smaller the glass the better. You can then determine how much puree you’ll need to balance the cream. Please reach out if you have any questions.