Fall

Rum-Spiked Roasted Caramelized Mango

by:
May  8, 2012
3.7
3 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes About 1 cup
Author Notes

This is a simple dish that pays huge rewards. It was born from my love of all things caramel and my curiosity about the taste of roasted mango, which I now know is really, really good! I started by creating a caramel sauce with vanilla and green cardamom, flavors that go really well with mango. To make the caramel sauce a little saucy (sorry, I couldn’t resist), I decided to spike it with a little rum. You then add your fresh mango to the caramel-rum sauce and let it bubble away stovetop for a few minutes so the juices of the mango marry with the sauce. All that’s left is roasting the mango in the caramel-rum sauce for a brief spell, during which time the mango will begin to lightly caramelize. How you serve it is up to you -- it happens to be my new favorite topping for Greek yogurt, and it would be equally at home over ice cream, pound cake, or French toast. —EmilyC

Test Kitchen Notes

Simple and delicious, EmilyC's roasted mangoes with a boozy rum kick are so versatile you'll go back to them again and again. Slices of mango tossed with a light carmel syrup flavored with hints of cardamom and vanilla. Let the mangoes roast a little longer in the oven to thicken up the syrup and be careful when adding the rum to the hot syrup -- it splatters up. —jvcooks

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 ripe mangoes
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ vanilla bean (about a 4” piece)
  • 8 to 10 green cardamom pods
  • ¼ cup dark rum
  • sea salt, to taste
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Peel and pit your mangoes, then cut them into 1” slices or chunks. Set aside.
  3. Split your vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. In an ovenproof skillet (8" works well) or a low-sided sauce pan, stir together the sugar, water, vanilla bean + seeds, and green cardamom pods. Over high heat, cook the mixture until it turns a golden caramel -- about 5 to 7 minutes. Take the pan off the burner and add the rum. Return the pan to the burner, lower the heat, and cook until the rum and caramel melt together, about 2 minutes. If your sauce begins to thicken or clump, simply stir it until it’s smooth or add a teaspoon or so of water if necessary. You're looking for a light, thin caramel sauce -- not one that's thick or sticky. Add the mango and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan a few times to evenly coat the mango with the rum-caramel sauce.
  4. Transfer your pan to the oven and roast until the juices are bubbling and the mango begins to slightly wither around the edges -- about 5 to 7 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the oven. Add sea salt to taste and remove the vanilla bean and green cardamom pods (reserving the vanilla bean for another use). The caramelized mango can be served hot or cooled to room temperature. You can also refrigerate it for a few days -- letting it come to room temperature or gently reheating it before use.

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EmilyC

Recipe by: EmilyC

I'm a home cook. I love salads. Two things you'll always find in my refrigerator are lemons and butter, and in my pantry good quality chocolate and the makings for chocolate chip cookies.

16 Reviews

Jasser A. September 28, 2019
I bet this would be really good canned for enjoyment in the depth of winter.
 
Swaki August 12, 2013
Hi Emily C. Do you think this mango recipe would work as a pie filling? It sounds delicious.
 
EmilyC August 12, 2013
Hi Swaki -- I've never tried it that way, but I don't see why not! You might need to drain off some of the juice/sauce (or add a thickener) if you're making a double crust pie. Bet this would work well as a galette filling too. Please let me know if you try -- I'm curious to know how it turns out!
 
rachelib June 5, 2012
This will be the perfect finish for our South Pacific themed Transit of Venus party.
 
EmilyC June 5, 2012
Hope you enjoy!
 
This looks just wonderful!! This would be perfect for any dinner I'm planning along with a scoop of ice cream. Love it.
 
EmilyC June 3, 2012
Thanks so much, ChezSuzanne! If you try it, please let me know what you think!
 
BavarianCook May 27, 2012
This sounds great! I only have spiced rum in the house though. Do you think it would work with perhaps a few less cardamom pods and spiced rum instead of dark rum? I would not cut back on the vanilla though.
 
EmilyC May 27, 2012
Gosh, I'm not all that knowledgeable about rum. If it's dark spiced rum, I'd say go for it, but if it's light, I'm not sure how it'll change the flavor profile. One thought is that you could make your caramel, add your spiced rum, and then taste it over a small piece of mango (before proceeding with the recipe) -- to make sure you like the flavor combination. If you don't, you won't have wasted your precious mango! Please report back -- would love to know how it works.
 
hardlikearmour May 13, 2012
Wow! This is ridiculous. Wish I had some with ice cream right now!
 
EmilyC May 15, 2012
Thanks HLA! I need to make some more for ice cream. I think doubling the recipe would be a good idea.
 
wssmom May 10, 2012
I can see this over ice cream, or yogurt, or French toast, but I also can see spooning it straight from the jar into my mouth! Love the flavors!
 
EmilyC May 10, 2012
Thanks! -- my husband didn't get to try any because I kept doing the same thing!
 
LeBec F. May 10, 2012
this is so lovely.since i love cardamom i will probably use cardamom seeds and leave them in. I really wonder how this would be if you roasted the mango first?
 
EmilyC May 10, 2012
Thanks LBF for your nice comment! You could definitely use the seeds and leave them in...I actually.contemplated doing so but was aiming for a smooth.caramel sauce with a subtle cardamom flavor. I haven't tried roasting the mango first but I do love how the fresh mango releases its juices when added to the caramel.
 
EmilyC May 8, 2012
Thanks sdebrango! I intended to store a little jar of this in my fridge but I finished it today. I'd love to see the mango dish you've been dreaming up! : )