A couple of my friends and I have a ritual of celebrating the in-betweens of Divali (or Deepavali as it is known here) and Christmas. That very ritual is a simple potluck style gathering with each of us sharing a made-with-love dish of either of an Indian cuisine or a traditional Christmas dish. The seven of us have been doing this for two years. The first time round was last year. Since it was our first gathering, everybody got way too excited at the thought of eating a wide array of homecooked food. And it’s not just any homecooked food. It’s your friends’ homecooked food. That alone peaked out interest. And for that one day in a year, we could momentarily forget about work and become a family, exchanging stories over food about food and eat them altogether.
I made cheesy beef enchiladas last year, enough to stuff seven people, and made sure they looked festive with additional bright cherry tomatoes and green salads. Then there was the case of food overload. Everybody turned up with a portion for seven servings. Mutton curry. Naan. Chicken varuval. Spring hopper. At least ten different desserts consisting of kesari, crème puffs and berry custard. Each of us brought something important to the table, but way too many. We had to bring home bits and pieces with us, and all of us learnt a valuable lesson. Never be too enthusiastic. Another humbling lesson? We’re all, apparently, great cooks. Ha!
This year, we decided to tone it down a notch. We’d each bring a smaller course to add to the table. I took charge of desserts. So I did the best I could, and that was to persuade N to make some mango parfait with cranberries for us. Yes, you read that right. He made this wonderful dessert for dinner a couple of times in the past (inspired of course by his ‘masterchef’ Ramsay). Thankfully, the man was more than happy to whip it in the kitchen the night before. As far as I could tell, this one is pretty easy to make and you could rustle up this tarty-sweet course in a second for any occasions. But judging from its festive colors— the redness of the cranberries and the green mint— make up for a great Christmas dessert.
Mango Parfait with Caramelized Cranberries and Mint
What You Need
2 ripe mangoes / 1 pint of natural yogurt / a handful of fresh cranberries / 1 coffee cup of granulated sugar / 2 tablespoons of water / 1 cup of finely shredded mint
How To Make
First, caramelize the sugar in a pan with water until it’s all thick and syrupy over medium-low heat. Make sure you stir the mixture consistently with a wooden spatula until the sugar dissolves completely into a simmer. Place the cranberries in a bowl and mix them up with the mint. Drizzle the sugary liquid on top and combine. Next, peel the mangoes and cut up the flesh. Blend the flesh until it becomes a smooth puree. Layer the mango puree alternately with the yogurt in serving cups or glasses. Top each of them with the cranberries. Chill until serving time.
