Ming says: Salsa isn't just for tortilla chips. A sweetened version, made with fruits like mango and papaya, is wonderful as a dessert topping. (I call this a salsa because the fruit used is diced rather than puréed, which would make the topping a sauce.) Use all of the fruit called for in the recipe, or play with the quantities or kinds to suit you. In any case, you'll have a great, really versatile dessert accompaniment.
Makes 7 cups
- 1 cup mango cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 cup small papaya (strawberry papaya) or regular papaya cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 cup sharlyn or other melon cut into 1/4-inch dice (see Ming's Tip, left)
- 2 cups pineapple cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1/4 cup pure passion fruit juice (available in specialty markets), or seeded and puréed fresh passion fruit flesh
- 1/4 cup minced fresh mint
- 10 kaffir lime leaves, or the zest of 3 limes, minced
- 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- In a large bowl, combine the mango, papaya, melon, pineapple, passion fruit juice, mint, and kaffir lime leaves. Set aside.
- In a medium non-reactive saucepan, combine the ginger, Amaretto, orange juice, lime juice, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, decrease the heat to low, and simmer the mixture until it is reduced to a light glaze, or by about one quarter, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow the glaze to cool slightly, pour over the fruit, and mix. Use or store. Lasts 1 week, refrigerated.
TRY IT
This makes a delicious topping for pancakes or waffles, or vanilla ice cream. Or try it as an accompaniment to white or pound cake. It's particularly good with coconut cake.
The salsa can be converted to a savory version: Add sliced scallions or diced red onion plus a pinch of salt to the salsa, and serve it as a topping for grilled fish.
MING'S TIP
Sharlyn melon tastes deliciously like a cross between honeydew and cantaloupe. Ripe melons have pretty orange-white flesh; use them quickly, as they soften rapidly after ripening. If unavailable, substitute a fifty-fifty mixture of honeydew and cantaloupe.
>>This recipe appears in
Episode #124.
>> For additional recipes and more, visit
www.ming.com
