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THUMBS UP FOR EATING MANGOES UPSIDE-DOWN

June 25, 2001 – It's mango season — a good reason to find many ways to enjoy this favorite tropical fruit. Of course, the simplest mango recipe calls for a ripe, juicy fruit and clean hands. Half the fun of eating a mango is to sit, suck and savor the flavor of the fresh flesh as it reluctantly pulls from the hard inner seed.
Beyond this, slices of ripe mango can be wrapped with thin slices of ham for a quick appetizer. A creamy, cold mango soup makes a nice light lunch or pre-entree course. Mangoes mix easily in salads, be they based in greenery (with salad or coleslaw fixings) or combined with other fruit like papaya and carambols (starfruit).
Mangoes accompany chicken dishes to perfection. One delicious way to include them on a luncheon or dinner plate is to lightly sautee slices in butter and serve them warm on the side. For dessert, there is mango crisp with its crunchy cinnamon and oatmeal topping, mango ice cream and even mango cheesecake.
One of my favorite mango recipes is for Mango Upside-Down Cake. This comes from the booklet "Mango Bits & Bites" produced by the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service. The booklet contains a brief history of the mango, descriptions of different varieties, agricultural facts from planting to harvesting, and 21 recipes — each with an accompanying nutrient analysis. The booklet is available at the UVI bookstores on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses.
Mango Upside-Down Cake
2 cups sliced ripe mango
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1-1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
Place mangoes in a large mixing bowl. Pour lemon juice over mangoes and let stand for 15 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon margarine in an 8-inch cake pan or casserole. Add brown sugar and cover with mango slices.
Prepare cake batter by creaming 1/4 cup butter or margarine and sugar. Add beaten egg. Sift dry ingredients — flour, baking powder and salt — and add alternatively with milk.
Pour batter over mangoes and bake 50 to 60 minutes at 375 degrees F. When cake is done, turn upside down on a serving platter. Serve while warm.
Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 275 calories, 9 grams fat (29 percent fat calories), 44 mg cholesterol, 246 mg sodium.
Food footnote: One medium mango contains 135 calories, over 100 percent of the daily requirements for vitamins A and C, and one-fifth of the daily need for dietary fiber. Mangoes are sodium, fat and cholesterol free.

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