The success of this creation is most dependent on the Mango. Pick a Mango varietal that is not fibrous. The Mangos must be ripe yet still firm. I always cut, peel, and sample one from the batch to ensure I have the quality I want.
Cayman Mango Tart Ingredients
Crust
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
10.6 ounces (300 grams) shortbread cookies (e.g., Walkers; 5.3 ounces/box)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 Tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
Mango Filling
2.75 ounces (approx 2/3 cup) blanched, super fine almond flour (e.g., Bob’s Red Mill)
½ cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes
1 large egg (2 ounces in shell)
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Mango Topping
Firm, Ripe Mangos (~ #3 large varietal Mangoes, approximately 1.25 to 1.5 lbs each; 4.5 lbs in total)
Instructions
Crust
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and zest. Use your fingers to rub the sugar into the zest to release the oils. Set aside.
In a food processor, process the cookies until finely ground. Add the sugar-zest mixture and the salt. Drizzle the melted butter over and pulse until the mixture begins to clump and can be pressed together with your fingers like wet sand.
Scrape the mixture into a 9” tart pan with a removable base. Use your fingers and a flat bottomed measuring cup to press the crumbs into an even layer across the bottom and up the sides, about 1/3” thick. (Photo “Crust”) Freeze the crust a minimum 30 minutes or overnight.
Filling
In a food processor, pulse the almond flour with the sugar and salt until combined. With the machine running, add the butter, egg, and almond extract. Continue processing until the mixture is smooth. Add prepared filling to the frozen crust, smoothing into an even layer and return to freezer for 30 minutes. (Photo “Crust+Filling”)
Place rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 375˚ F. Place frozen tart shell on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust and filling are set and lightly browned. Cool completely.
Mango Topping – How to Peel, Slice & Arrange the Mangos
Take one Mango and score the skin surface into quarters. Peel the skin off one quarter. With a very sharp paring knife, cut the exposed quarter into slices approximately ¼” thick and then gently strip them off the pit. Lay them neatly to the side.
Repeat with remaining quarters of the mango. Then repeat with each remaining Mango.
The base of the prepared crust can be spread with any drained “Mango Mush”, i.e., bits of mango that did not remove as pretty slices from the pit. Then, working from the outer rim toward the center, arrange the mango slices in overlapping circles until the tart is completely covered with slices.
Refrigerate tart for a day to set prior to slicing and serving.
Yield: #1 9” Tart weighing ~3.25 lbs. Approximately 8 – 10 servings.
