PASSIONATE RATIONS

I love summer. The golden-red sunsets emulated by the succulent flesh and skins of peaches and mangoes. What if you could distill that into a glass?

Wait. You can. It’s called a frozen fruit margarita. Had I realized how easy it was to make them I would have gotten over my fear of purchasing mangoes long ago.

That’s right. They scared me. They seemed complicated. How to know when they’re ripe? And don’t they have a weird tough center? And how many things can you do with mangoes anyway?

Well, you only need one thing. A margarita.

First, the mango. The best tip I ever got for purchasing fruits and vegetables is that you want one that feels heavy for its size. That certainly seemed to work.

Next, I used a veg peeler to shave off its red-burnished-green skin. Then I carefully sliced off hunks until the center’s rigidity stopped my knife. No need to worry the tough stuff would get mixed with the good, it turns out. The knife simply wouldn’t cut it.

Then, freeze the chunks for awhile.

While waiting, measure out:

6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) of tequila
3 Tbsp. (1.5 oz.) of fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. (1 oz.) of Cointreau or Triple Sec

When the mango pieces are frozen, measure out a cup of crushed ice and a cup or so of the chopped mango.

Throw it all in a blender with a dash of salt and a few hits of something sweet (agave nectar, maple syrup, corn syrup, simple syrup, granulated sugar) and blend to perfection. Share with a friend.

And because mango chunks can be frozen, freeze the equivalent of several mangoes to bring a little summer to the dark winter months.