Mango Float {Filipino Food Month}

It’s my first installment for Filipino Food Month! And in keeping with my birthday theme, we’re having dessert first.

This is a popular Filipino dessert, and it couldn’t be easier to make. Really, there’s not much you can screw up. It tastes amazing, and you only need 4 ingredients: Mangoes (the yellow ones, please), graham crackers, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk. And since it’s built around fruit, it’s totally healthy for you! (cough cough… )

This recipe is easily adaptable and you can make less or more, or make it taller/shorter, etc.

I used three large-ish mangoes, and it made 3 layers nicely in my 9 x 13 pan. I couldn’t believe I found such large yellow mangoes at my local Fresh & Natural foods. Usually if I find yellow mangoes at all, they’re significantly smaller. If you can’t find yellow mangoes, I guess you could substitute the green/red ones, but they just don’t taste the same. As far as I’m concerned, yellow mangoes are the only correct variety of mangoes.

Peel the mangoes, then slice them thinly. I stood it up on one end and just sliced on either side down to the seed. It gets really fibrous close to the seed, so stop before it gets to that point. I bet this would work a lot better if I had a mandoline. The slicer, not the musical instrument. I doubt that playing the mandolin would help with this, but I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream until stiff.

Then fold in 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. Mmmmm… Sweetened condensed milk makes an appearance in lots of Filipino desserts. Because a) it’s tasty. And b) they don’t have dairies in the Philippines, so the milk products available there are either canned or in tetra packs. But mostly a.

Fold it in until it’s completely homogenous.

In a 9 x 13 pan, place graham crackers in a single layer, breaking to fit (relatively close to the edges, but you don’t have to freak out about it.) I used a springform 9 x 13 pan I have lying around, mostly because it was my tallest one, but the edges are rounded which isn’t ideal for rectangular crackers. Still worked fine, though.

Lay on top of that your slices of mango. I’m guessing you can totally cut more consistent slices than what you see above. But you know what? Even if you can’t this will still work. It’s like the least fussy dessert ever. You generally want them to be similar in thickness, though.

Put 1/3 of the cream mixture on top of the mangoes and spread it out. Repeat this process 2 more times.

On the very top, sprinkle about 3-4 crushed up graham crackers. I obviously put minimal effort into this and threw them in a ziplock bag and let Little Man at them with a measuring cup. Throw this into the freezer until firm all the way through, probably a couple of hours. If you can’t wait that long (not that I’d know– I have supreme self-control) you can eat it after like half an hour or something, but it will be sort of messy. Not that I’d know, of course. Cut into squares.

Oh, hello, lovely.

I want you.

I need you.

And that’s all I’m going to say, because it’s not polite to talk with your mouth full.