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Robin Asbell spreads
Selecting Both mangoes and papayas ripen well after they are picked. Look for fruit that yields to gentle pressure. Avoid brown or black spots, which could mean bruising. Most importantly, ripe fruit will have a pleasant perfume. If the fuit looks and feels nice, but still firm or hard, store at room temperature until soft. This will typically take a couple days. Ripe fruit can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Peeling and Serving Mango 1. Trim off the mango top and bottom flat about ¼ inch. A mango is a bit unwieldy, and its smooth skin can make it difficult for a peeler or knife to make initial cuts. Trimming off the mango’s ends will help with this issue. Plus, after you trim the ends, you will get a peek at the shape of the pit, making it easier to cut later. 2. Use a peeler or knife to remove the skin. If the mango is very ripe, it might be challenging with a peeler, so stand the mango on its trimmed bottom side, and use a chef knife to carefully remove the skin. Slide the knife edge between the skin and the flesh of the mango in long smooth strokes from top to bottom, working your way around the mango until it is fully peeled. Discard the peels. 3. To cut, stand the mango on its trimmed bottom side. Use the information gained from trimming the bottom
and top of the mango to show where the pit is, and make two cuts down on either side of the pit—try to keep the knife as close to the pit as possible. You will be left with two nice slices of mango. Discard the pit. (Or, if your house is anything like mine, give the pit to one of the impatient children waiting for the fruit, and let them messily nibble on any bits of fruit still clinging to the pit.) Then, slice the mango slices and use in the Tropical Fruit Mango Papaya Tart. Also enjoy cut into bite sized cubes and mix in with your favorite fruit salad. Peeling and Serving Papaya 1. Peeling: Like the mango, trim a thin piece of the papaya top and bottom to give your peeler or knife better grip. Then peel the papaya from top to bottom all the way around and discard the peel. 2. Cutting: Slice the papaya in half lengthwise, revealing an empty cavity, similar to a melon, filled with black seeds. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and discard. Lay the papaya halves on a cutting board, flat side down, and slice ¼ inch slices for use in the tart, or cut in cubes and add to fruit salad. I like a squeeze of lime with papaya, as the flavor is strong and the acid cuts through, giving the fruit a lively balance. ■
N U T R I T I O N (P E R S E R V I N G) TROPICAL FRUIT MANGO PAPAYA TART CALORIES: 710, FAT: 36G (SAT: 20G), CHOLESTEROL: 365 MG, SODIUM: 230 MG, CARB: 91G, FIBER: 2G, SUGAR: 68G, PROTEIN: 12G
Te r r y B r e n n a n i s a
photographer based in M i n n e a p o li s , M i n n e s ot a , whose clients include Target, General Mills, Land O’Lakes and Hormel. “Working with Real Food is a highlight—I love working with the creative team and, of course, sampling the wonderful recipes.”
Pat Crocker is a pro-
fessional home economist and culinary herbalist with a passion for healthy food. Her knowledge and love of herbs has been honed over more than four decades of growing, studying, photographing, experimenting with and writing about what she calls “the helping plants.” In fact, Crocker marries the medicinal benefits of herbs in every original recipe she develops. Crocker has written 22 herb/ healthy cookbooks including “The Healing Herbs Cookbook,” “The Juicing Bible” and most recently, “The Herbalist’s Kitchen.”
Lara Miklasevics
began her food career on the other side of the camera, cooking at the renowned New French Café in Minneapolis. Today her work as a stylist is in demand at corporations including Heinz, Target and General Mills, as well as with many magazines. Her experience as a chef helps her make food as appealing on the page as it is on the plate.
Jason Ross is a chef
consultant for restaurants and hotels, developing menus and concept s for multiple high profile proper ties. He grew up and trained in New York City but now calls St. Paul, Minnesota, home. He currently teaches the next generation of chefs at Saint Paul College Culinary School.
MANGOS & PAPAYAS ADOBE STOCK / ARTIFIRSOV
Prepping Mango and Papaya
the word about how delicious whole, real foods can be through her work as an author, cooking teacher and private chef. She likes to create delicious dishes that range from meat and seafood to beans and grains using global flavors. She is the author of “Plant-Based Meats,” “Great Bowls of Food,” “Big Vegan,” “GlutenFree Pasta” and more.
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