• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • Travel
  • Keeping It Real | Life
  • San Francisco

Shikha la mode

Eating Life to its Fullest in San Francisco, CA.

Home » Recipe: Mango Spice Tart Disguised as a Pumpkin Spice Tart

October 21, 2018

Recipe: Mango Spice Tart Disguised as a Pumpkin Spice Tart

mango spice tart sliced

In less than a month, I’ll be in India. I never know whether to say “I’m going to India” or “I’m going back to India.” As a first-gen, my accent, clothing, and privilege of being able to have fun are American. But my name, skintone, and idiosyncratic phrases like “close the light” instead of “turn off the light” are from the other side of the world. But I’ve spent so many summers, winters, and once, an entire school year there, that India is as familiar a place to me as America is. I take ownership over India the way I do of America, even though I’m not sure I’m always allowed to. And to say I’m going back there implies that it is my home, even though it is not. Because I am Indian, but I am also not.

The last time I visited India was four years ago. It was Halloween, a holiday driven by the premise that it’s socially acceptable to be something you are not. With the right costume, you can scare or amuse people, or just confuse them.

Halloween is once a year in America, but when I’m in India, it’s everyday. During my last visit, I dressed up as an ambitious but traditional Indian girl. In costume, I worked at a flashy tech company climbing the ranks of marketing while also making time for friends and travel and the arts and exercise. In costume, I knew all the latest and classic Bollywood songs and watched movies without subtitles. In costume, I did not listen to rap music. Instead I wore a lot of dresses and never any sleeveless shirts even though it was blazing hot, because looking modest is the key to this costume, along with a small piece of gold jewelry and maybe a nose piercing (which I tried to include in my costume but mine closed years ago).

In costume I did not date, and did not ever date. I instead had equally ambitious and traditional girl friends. Through these friends or through work, I expected to meet the guy that I would marry and it would happen quickly, with less dating and more planning to get our parents to meet. Until then, I stayed in my lane, not being distracted by boys nor attending parties, and definitely not going on the apps. That wouldn’t be a convincing costume.

mango spice tart

Being in India is like being at a constant Halloween party. My goal, set by the country’s customs and competitive social mores, is to amuse people’s ideas of me. What I can’t convince them of through my American accent, I am tasked with doing so through forced assimilation. And in a country of 1.3 billion people, 122 languages, 9 official religions, and 43 types of bread, it’s not an easy task.

But then again, it wasn’t an easy task for my parents to leave this country to go to one where millions of people didn’t look like them; the Southern drawled English of Louisiana didn’t sound like them; the closest temple to practice their religion was over an hour away; and the only type of affordable bread wasn’t nearly as wonderful as it claimed to be. I only need to be in costume for a couple of weeks, but they are in costume for the rest of their lives.

mango spice tart

I made this tart to represent Halloween, India, and my relationship with the two. Upon appearance, it looks like a straightforward pumpkin pie, very on-trend for this time of year and what types of desserts we expect, or rather, believe we should expect. It’s got elements of a classic pumpkin pie as well—warm spices and a flaky crust. But when you dig in with your fork, you get something different. You taste the familiar fall aromas and the silky filling, but not from pumpkin. The truth behind this orange costumed tart is mango, bursting onto the scene with its tropical summer vibes.

I love this tart because you can’t hold any expectations towards it until you get to know it, which is hopefully what I can show friends and family in India this time around when I visit. What you see is not what you get, and that’s okay, because what you get ends up being even better.

Mango Spice Tart

Created by Shikha on October 21, 2018

  • Prep Time:3h
  • Cook Time:30m
  • Total Time:3h 30m
  • Serves: 6
  • Yield: 6 small tarts

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 200 grams all-purpose flour
  • 25 grams hazelnut flour
  • 150 grams unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
  • ¾ cup pure mango puree
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt

For the filling:

    For meringue:

      Instructions

      For crust:

      1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flours and salt. Add in cold butter and mix until butter resembles large peas. Drizzle in ice-cold water a tablespoon at a time, waiting at least 30 seconds in between until dough comes together. Do this slowly, as you don\'t want to add too much water.
      2. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
      3. When dough is well chilled, prepare a lightly floured surface and roll out dough into a large circle. Cut out enough rounds to fit your mini tart rings.
      4. Shape your tart rings and lightly score the bottom with a fork. Pop back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
      5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove tart rings from fridge and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside to cool while making filling.

      For filling:

      1. In a large bowl, combine the 4 egg yolks, condensed milk, mango puree, and salt and whisk until well combined. Pour evenly into cooled tart shells.
      2. Bake for 15-17 minutes until middle barely jiggles. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

      For meringue:

      1. Set oven to broil and set oven rack to the highest position.
      2. Place egg whites, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a completely clean, dry stand mixer. Place over a pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until mixture is slightly above room temperature to the touch.
      3. Remove from stove and set up the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high until egg whites become glossy and peaks hold their shape firmly.
      4. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe onto the cooled tarts with a design of your choice.
      5. Put tarts into the prepared oven and broil for 1-2 minutes until meringue is toasted. Watch closely so you don\'t burn it.
      6. Serve immediately or store in an airtight place until ready to serve.
      • Print

      Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Baking, costume, Dessert, fall baking, first-generation, Halloween, India, mango spice tart, pumpkin spice tart, Recipe

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Jane says

        October 24, 2018 at 9:04 am

        Mouth watering. Making these this weekend.

        Reply

      Trackbacks

      1. A Look Back at 2018 | Shikha la mode says:
        December 16, 2018 at 9:29 pm

        […] Recipe: Mango Tart Disguised as a Pumpkin Tart […]

        Reply

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Primary Sidebar

      About

      Shikha here - a Bay Area native, content marketer, and pastry cook-turned blogger living in San Francisco. I see the world through food (and Drake lyrics), and am here to help you eat life to its fullest.

      Want SLM in your inbox?

      Stay Connected

      • Email
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Twitter

      Explore More

      Popular Recipes

      oreo-peppermint-babka

      Recipe: Oreo Peppermint Babka

      Holiday Baking Recipe: Almond Pear Cake

      mango-spice-tart-sliced

      Recipe: Mango Spice Tart Disguised as a Pumpkin Spice Tart

      Where in the World is SLM

      travelpro luggage

      Be an Experienced Traveler with Travelpro® Luggage

      Best Holiday Experience Gifts in San Francisco

      The Best Holiday Experience Gifts in San Francisco

      REI outdoor classes evening kayak tour

      Offbeat SF Activity: Evening Kayak Tour with REI

      Clever

      Linqia

      Copyright© 2019 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks