Mango Nectarines....
What exactly is a mango nectarine? Well, to be honest, I wasn't quite sure myself until a few hours ago. After a few beers in Soho, I was walking home thinking about what I was going to make for dinner. I knew that I had a 2008 Standing Stone Vidal Icewine in my freezer for a very long time, and that I should try to come up with a dessert that would pair nicely with this particular wine. As I was walking towards the train, I stopped into Dean & Deluca just to see if there was anything interesting available.
The first steps into Dean & Deluca are always a bit overwhelming...lots of people and lots of produce. As I surveyed the selection of fruits, exotic mushrooms, and mundane potatoes I spotted something unusual. A bunch of nectarines, with a peculiar color of green and iridescent orange, much like the common mango. As I checked the sign and picked one up, I read "Mango Nectarines". Now, I've never heard of such a thing, but at $7 a .lb theses guys weren't exactly cheap. However, the smell of the nectarines was truly amazing...they were perfectly ripe, with a hint of mango to them. I put them down, on principal of price and walked around the store. Ten minutes later I was back with 4 of them in a bag.
On the long ride on the train home, I pondered: What exactly do I do with these things? My solution was to eat one, and see where the flavor took me. They have a surprising taste of nectarine, with the usual balance of sweetness and tart flavor, but then you really taste the mango. How they make these fruits I don't know.
After a long decision, I wanted a dessert that would showcase the fruit for what it was, but would also accent the flavor of the mango in it. I came up with a dish I am truly proud of.
The mango nectarines are simply cut in half and cored, the pit removed and hollowed out very slightly. In its place, I filled it with a mousse made of ripe nectarines cooked in a little bit of butter and simple syrup, then blended and strained. I added gelatin to this warm mixture, and allowed it to cool. Once cooled, it was mixed with whipped cream to create a flavorful mousse which was piped into the centers. To give the dish another dimension, I made a fromage blanc ice cream with lime zest, and set it over chocolate shavings. The whole thing works amazingly well together.
I don't know the next time I will see mango nectarines, but I will always remember this dessert that really showed off the fruits for what they were.
Whipped cream
Strained apricot puree with gelatin
Apricot Puree
Mango Nectarines filled with apricot mousse, shaved chocolate and lime fromage blanc ice cream
