Mango Gazpacho

Yield: 20 2.5-ounce dessert shots

Honestly – I use frozen mango chunks (thaw them first). Here’s why. Frozen fruit is picked at its peak of ripeness and then flash frozen. That’s a good thing. The problem with frozen fruit can be that upon thawing, it loses its shape. In a preparation like this, where the fruit is being pureed, that doesn’t matter.  If you don’t have dessert shooters, use cordial glasses, or serve it in cups as a starter.

Ingredients:

• 1 large mango, peeled and diced (2 cups)
• 2 cups fresh orange juice (from 6 oranges)
• 3 tsp. fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced (1¼ cups)
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced (1 cup)
• 1 small serrano chili, seeded and minced (1 tbsp.)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1½ tsp. sriracha or Vietnamese chili-garlic sauce, or a few dashes of hot pepper sauce (optional)
• ½ tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• extra minced herbs or extra minced red bell pepper for garnish

Method:

• In a blender, blend the mango, orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Transfer the puree to a medium bowl and stir in the cucumber, bell pepper, serrano, garlic, cilantro, chili sauce, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate the gazpacho for at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours.
• When ready to serve, divide the gazpacho among 20 chilled shot glasses. Top each shooter with minced herbs or minced red bell pepper. Arrange the shooters on a platter and serve.

Adapted from Golden Door