“Last week finally kicked off overripe mango season…nine mangos later, I think I’ve developed the most mango of all mango cheesecakes.”
–Elise, after eating lots of cheesecake

We live in a neighborhood with two large grocery stores, both of which offer excellent discounts on small, weird-shaped, or past-ripe produce. The deals are usually unpredictable, which makes a delightfully weird creativity prompt for days when you can’t decide what to make for supper. Both stores have a tendency to overstock tropical fruit in June and July, though, and this year I found myself actively looking forward to filling up on slightly mushy mangos and papayas as the hot weather started to return. Last week finally kicked off overripe mango season, and I greedily snagged nine mangos for six dollars. I could have had more, but nine was more than enough to facilitate a whole blissful week of recipe experiments. Nine mangos later, I think I’ve developed the most mango of all mango cheesecakes. Now that I’ve perfected it, I’m planning to make it several more times before the summer is over. Shout-outs go to The Guardian and New York Times Cooking for mango cheesecake recipes that I didn’t love but that provided a starting spot, and to Jeni Britton Bauer for the secret technique that kicked the mango flavor up above the cream cheese flavor.

Mango Cheesecake with Corsican Mint 

You’ll Need:

You could make this recipe using a food mill or even a mesh strainer and a rubber spatula, but a blender, food processor, or immersion blender will make things vastly easier. 

You’ll also need an 8” springform pan, four mini springforms, or another baking tin that allows the walls to separate from the bottom. Alternately, you could use eight 4-oz custard cups and plan to serve the cakes directly in their baking container. For the most posh presentation ever, check out Silverwood’s line of modular bakeware. I used their Simple Simon miniature tart tin for my version, which resulted in the most adorable 3” mango-shaped cakes, but which only accommodated 3/4 of the recipe at a time.

Roast the mangos

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and line a small baking sheet with parchment. Slice two of the mangos into 1/2” strips (discarding the peel and pit as you go). Separate the slices and lay them out on the baking sheet with plenty of space between. Roast the mango slices for 45 minutes to an hour, until they become fragrant and feel leathery on the outside surfaces. They will still be plenty soft inside. The goal is not to cook the fruit—just to concentrate the mango flavor and improve the texture of the filling.

When you take the mangos out, raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees and make sure there’s a rack at the bottom and another somewhere in the middle.

Create the mango-mint jam

Remove the peel and pit from the other mango and place the edible part in the food processor (or right into a saucepan if you’re using an immersion blender). Add 1/4 cup of the sugar, the pectin, and the juice. Blend until totally smooth, and then place it in the smallest saucepan over low heat. Add the mint and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you continue the recipe. Remove from heat when the mixture has thickened, and grown slightly translucent, and shows an even distribution of clean, large bubbles. (It’s hard to get an accurate temperature on such a shallow pan of liquid. This is forgiving enough to judge by eye–habitual confiture makers will recognize it as the “frog eyes” stage. Everyone else: you’ll definitely know it when you see it.)

Prepare the crust

Crush the crackers into fine crumbs. Melt the butter and add, reserving one Tablespoon to grease the baking tin. Add the brown sugar and toss the mixture until evenly buttery. Brush the reserved butter up the sides of the baking tin, and then press the cracker mixture into an even layer at the bottom. Set the crust aside.

Mix the cheese filling

Once the roasted mangos are ready, add them to the blender with the 1/2 cup of sugar and blend until smooth. Take a moment to raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Separate the eggs, reserving the whites in a meticulously clean glass or stainless steel container, and add one egg yolk at a time to the mango mixture, blending well between additions. Cut the cream cheese into 10-16 cubes, and add these to the blender. Blend on high until completely combined. 

In a clean, dry, non-plastic bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture (don’t use the blender for this—that would defeat the purpose entirely).  

Bake the cake

If you haven’t already, set the oven to 325 degrees and let it preheat. Place one oven rack on the bottom setting, and the other somewhere near the center of the oven. Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack and fill it with half an inch of boiling water. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the prepared crust, and place the cake on the upper rack. The baking time will vary based on the size and shape of your cake or cakes, but remember that when perfectly done, your cheesecake will be evenly domed across the top, with only the tiniest cracks beginning to form.  There shouldn’t seem to be a cooler or glossier spot in the middle. Avoid poking it to check doneness–this can cause it to collapse, and doesn’t really provide any helpful information. 

Final assembly

The cake will settle ever so slowly as it cools. While it relaxes, strain the mint leaves out of the mango-mint jam and, warming it if necessary to make it softer. When the cake has stopped sinking, pour the whole batch of jam over the top and spread it up to the edge. Refrigerate the cake, tin and all, for a minimum of two hours. Separate the pan and serve each slice or mini-cake with a sprig of mint. Cheers!

Finally, because Jonny suspects it might be illegal to post a recipe on a blog without dishing up at least one advertisement, here’s…

A Plug for The Dragon Lord Saga