His-and-Hers Mangoes

I've tried to use greenish-red mangoes, but I've given up on them. Their peak of ripeness is hard to pinpoint, and I end up being disappointed by the taste. So, on to the big flat of champagne mangoes we snagged for $9.99 on Monday! We did a his-and-hers combo using them with ginger for a cold Thai cabbage salad...

...and this spicy pie:

Mango + Ricotta Gingersnap Pie

Gingersnap Crust:

1 small box thin gingersnaps (Lars Own in the blue box at Fresh Market are really good)

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 cup cane sugar

pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a pie pan and set it aside. Put the gingersnaps in the food processor and pulse; you want crumbs, but not a fine dust. Mix this in a bowl with the melted butter, sugar, and salt. Press it firmly into the bottom and sides of the pie pan for about a 1/4-inch crust. Bake it for 8-10 minutes until crisp, and then be sure to let it cool.

Lemon Ricotta Filling:

1 15-oz. container of part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp. brown muscovado sugar

juice and zest from one lemon

pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients by beating well with a whisk. Pour into the cooled pie crust.

Mango-Ginger Topping:

6 champagne mangoes

1 tbsp. honey

one large piece of crystallized ginger

Dice the inside of the mango and scoop out the fruit (see video above!) and spread it over the ricotta base. Drizzle this with honey and grate the ginger over the top.

*Refrigerate the finished pie for 1-2 hours before serving so it can set.