Tasty Tuesday!

This is one of my all time favorite desserts -- and the wee ones love it, too. Aside from the cool, creamy refreshingness of it, the entire dessert is only 95 calories. I love added bonuses like that!

As we're getting to the start of summer (with our current fifty-two degrees and the need for long sleeves and pants yesterday, I refuse to say that Memorial Day was the unofficial start to summer around here), this is the perfect dessert to sit outside on the deck on a nice day and enjoy while feeling the sun melt away the winter blahs.

Mango Custard

Ingredients:
2 envelopes, plain gelatin (e.g., Knox)
1/2 c sugar*
1 c hot water (not boiling but really hot)
3 1/2 c pureed mango**
1 c 2% evaporated milk
~8 ice cubes (mine are the long ones that come from the freezer maker)
1 lime
1 kiwi

Directions:
Peel mangos and cut into large chunks (essentially large enough to fit in your blender). Put chunks from 2 mangos into blender, along with the evaporated milk. Puree. Add more chunks of mango until you have 4 1/2 c total (3 1/2 c mango and 1 c evaporated milk). Pour into a large bowl.

Heat water. Add gelatin and sugar and stir, stir, stir until they're totally dissolved. This will take 2-3 minutes.

Add ice cubes to mango mixture, then pour gelatin into it and stir until fully dissolved. Again, this will take a minute or so.

Pour mixture into individual ramekins and chill for at least 3 hours. You can heat the ramekins by dipping into a bowl of hot water (don't let it touch the pudding), then use a knife to loosen and invert on a plate or serve in the ramekins. I garnish with a diced kiwi, the leftover mango that I then dice and squeeze of lime juice. This makes ~12-14 small ramekins. They're good the day of and up to 2-3 days after.

*You can probably use a fake sweetener for this, but I've never tried. 1/2 cup divided by 12 servings is miniscule.

**You can buy pureed mango, but beware what else is in it. I prefer to buy 3 or 4 mangos and puree them myself. It takes between 2 and 3 large mangos to get the 3 1/2 c pureed mango. Peel them, cut into large chunks and add slowly to your blender to get the puree. If you accidentally cut into the pit, you may want to strain the puree (or you can pick out individual pieces if you're patient enough). Reserve the remaining mango and dice to use for garnish.

Ohhhhh yum!

And of course, as always go check out this week's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday with Blessed With Grace!

Enjoy!