With Apologies to Will Rogers

I never met a mango I didn't like.

Mangoes.

They're impossible to describe. The color alone is blindingly sunny. Drippy, syrupy sweet/tart sexy fruit!

Think jungle fever overdosed with rum. Pulpy lemony angelica. Peaches on crack.

From the first time a Brazilian fruit platter swung near me, heavy on the mangoes nose-high, I've been hexed and have wanted only more. In Brazil they grow large, almost like footballs, and the varieties are yellow-skinned or coral blushed (as far as I remember).

Mexican mangoes are plentiful in the south year round, and in the central or north, they start showing up in the markets in late spring (I am in the central highlands, so their arrival may vary according to other regions.) The aroma intoxicates even before the golden-red orbs come into view.

My favorite mango recipes don't mess around with the fruit all that much. Slice it, squeeze the juice over the pulp, eat it up. Throw in some Kiwi, maybe a fresh tangerine, but not much else.

To get the most fruit from the skin, you cut them in half, one half delicately carved around the slippery large seed. Then after scoring the flesh into little squares, turn the curved half inside-out, and you're ready for a grapefruit spoon, or bare-mouthed bites. Prepare yourself. The earth will move.

One mango a day would cure the devil of all ills. The vitamin-mineral content is off the map. But the flavor itself makes it so popular. Many American markets offer fresh ones, but if you can't find them, they sell frozen mangoes these days--go for it! In a pinch, use them drained from a can, found in the Mexican/Central American sections of good markets.

A few diversions with mangoes:

The Mango Mimosa

4 freshly peeled & chopped mangoes, pureed in blender with 1 liter or quart mango nectar. Fill champagne flutes halfway, top them off with chilled champagne.

Mango Silk

Into the blender container, place: 3 mangoes, peeled & chopped. One can sweetened condensed milk. One cup heavy cream. Blend on high, pour into casserole dish, cover with plastic. At this point, you must decide: freeze it for a fabulous ice cream, or chill it for the smoothest pudding ever.

Fresh Mango Pie

Into deep-dish pie pan prepared with one layer of dough, place 4 or 5 (4 cups) sliced mangoes. Dust with 1 cup dark brown sugar, a bit of cinnamon and cloves, and a light sprinkling of all-purpose flour. Top with pie crust, make a few slits in the top. Brush with beaten egg yolks, sprinkle all over with sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees; lower temperature to 325 and bake for 20 more minutes, 'til top is browned.

Excuse me--I have to check something on the stove. I'll be back at a later, to-be-determined time. Probably not 'til after supper.