How do you make a mango shake? Well, you take it to a scary movie! (cue sympathy laughs).
Or, you could catch a plane to St. Lucia to learn how to make everything from shakes to chutney with the world’s favorite fruit. From June 19-23, The Jade Mountain Resort will be hosting its 8th annual Mango Madness Festival. Nicknamed the “1001 Things You Could do to a Mango Before You Die” festival, chefs will show guests how to pick, chop, sauté, bake, blend, and (of course) eat mangos.
Heading the event is the mango king himself, Chef Allen Susser. Living amongst the lush mango fields of St. Lucia has inspired the James Beard Award-Winning chef to prepare mangos in every way possible. In an effort to infect others with his mango passion, he has created a schedule jam-packed with dinners on the beach and hands-on cooking classes for hotel guests.
The festival kicks off on Friday, June 19th, with the Mad Mango Cocktail Party, where the resort’s bartenders will whip up specialty cocktails. The mango-fueled debauchery continues Saturday morning with a field trip to Troubetzkoy’s Emerald Gardens where Chef Allen will share the secret of picking (and tasting, of course) perfectly ripe mangos.
Down at the Jade Club Lounge, the mango education continues with Chef Allen’s live cooking show: Mangos Rule! At this interactive cooking demonstration, guests will not only get to taste Chef Allen’s creations – but will also walk away with some of his recipes, ensuring that guests can continue to nurse their new mango addiction even after they are, as the Caribbeans say, “off island.”
Saturday night marks the highlight of the festival, the Night of 1,000 Mangos Dinner at the Jade Mountain Club. Guests will be able to sit by the infinity pool and enjoy a five-course meal prepared by Chef Allen featuring—you guessed it—mangos.
After a tiring yet fulfilling Saturday, treat yourself to a refreshing breakfast menu with an assortment of breads, cheeses, and fruits to choose from. And whether or not you’re a coffee person, you absolutely have to try their fresh St. Lucian coffee whose aroma masterfully captures the essence of the Carribean. During the lazy Sunday afternoon when you’re craving some Caribbean rum, the resort’s bartenders will teach guests how to make the perfect Mango Colada at the Mango Mixology Class Beach bar.
Catch a water taxi Monday afternoon for lunch on one of the resort’s private beaches then meander over to the Plantation at Anse Mamin for a special tour. Like much of St. Lucia’s fertile terrain, Anse Mamin was once a sugarcane plantation. Those with an avid sweet tooth should check out the estate chocolate that Anse Mamin now produces.
Next, head over to the mango chutney workshop in the Emerald Restaurant using the freshest ingredients straight from the island’s farmers. Striking the perfect balance between the sweetness of the mangos and the spiciness from the curry in this Indian condiment is an art form in itself. But, a well-executed mango chutney spices up anything from chicken curry to soft tacos. Basically, a little chutney know-how can make you the undisputed star of any backyard barbecue or dinner party.
Fill the rest of the day snorkeling in Anse Chastanet Bay or, for the traveler whose bravery borderlines on insanity, visiting St. Lucia’s drive-in volcano. Monday evening presents yet another opportunity to imbibe cocktails at the Celestial Terrace with a killer view of the night sky, because there is no such thing as too many Mango Mojitos.
While a week of chowing down on freshly-picked, juicy mangos with a view of the ocean sounds pretty amazing (ok, really amazing), going back to buying mangos in the local grocery store with a view of nothing but the dairy aisle is going to seem a little lackluster. But, armed with some newly acquired mango expertise and a stack of Chef Allen’s recipes, even those measly store-bought mangos can taste dang good.
And if you still haven’t had enough of the juicy, tropical fruit that is the mango after a festival full of good eats and adventure, then you might want to try out a recipe for mango bread, compliments of Chef Allen himself:
Mango Bread
Select: Kent mango
Ingredients to Serve-10 slices
| ¼ | Cup | Butter |
| ¾ | Cup | Sugar |
| 2 | Medium | Very Ripe mangos pureed |
| 1 | Large | Egg, slightly beaten |
| 1 | Teaspoon | Pure Vanilla extract |
| 2 | Tablespoons | Lime juice |
| 1 ½ | Cups | All purpose flour |
| 1 ½ | Teaspoon | Baking powder |
| ½ | Teaspoon | Baking soda |
| ½ | Teaspoon | Ground cinnamon |
| 1 | Cup | Chopped walnuts |
To prepare the batter: In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add the mango, egg, vanilla, and lime juice. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the mango mixture to the flour mixture stirring until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in the walnuts.
To bake the mango bread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x5x3 inch non stick pan with non stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan. Allow to cook for 1 hour on a rack before serving.
P O Box 4000, Soufriere, St. Lucia, West Indies
+1 758-459-4000
Originally written by Bailey Springer, June 6 2014.