Today’s question- Do mangoes taste better when you taste it off your lover’s lips and legs?

However, we live in Chicago, a painfully cold city where mangoes rarely release their perfume. My solution? Make mango pudding and invoke summertime sensuality in whatever weather. . Now you know the secret of why my pantry is stocked with bright cans of mango puree, coconut milk, and condensed milk. Looking at them makes my body glow with warmth and lust. They are my Proust’s madeleine, taking me back to my memories of sharing fresh mangoes and more.

After our restaurant shift, I and my favorite co-worker and lover walked into the blazing afternoon weekday heat to the waterfront. The irresistible scent of ripe mangoes hung in the air. I pulled him towards the sidewalk fruit seller. Befuddled, he asked me how we were going to eat the mangoes as we had none of our knives on us. I told gently him that we could peel ripe mangoes quite easily.

Once we were out of earshot, I whispered coyly, “These mangoes aren’t the only thing waiting to feel your touch.”

“Smooth moves, Josie Qu,” he said with a smile. Slowly, he traced his finger from the mango in my hand, up my arm, neck, and onto my lips. Then taking the mango, he peeled back its wrinkled and soft golden skin to reveal the fruit. It was fragrant, almost overripe.

He raised the mango to my lips. “Ladies first.”

I took a greedy bite, almost biting into the pit.  Luscious sticky juices dripped down my face, neck, and down my shirt. I was a delicious mess. 

Teasingly licking my finger clean one at a time, I then asked, “Do you think you can help me with the rest of the clean up? I didn’t grab any napkins.”

That afternoon ended with sweat slick and blissfully entangled lovers who could never look at the golden fruit the same again.

Now let's create our own memories of sharing mangoes. It doesn't have to be by the lake in the heat of the sun. 

Let's enjoy it instead from the comfort of our tangled sheets. Take the pudding out of the fridge and break the creamy cool yellow surface. Share it between us. I promise it's better than any chilled glass of water by the bedside. Feed each other mango pudding like we fed each other earlier.

Lick your lips after I leave.

Remember how sweet everything tastes.

Recipe from Dim Sum Central

Ingredients

3 large champagne mangos (to make 1 1/2 to 2 cups of puree)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (Feel free to use agar agar for a vegetarian dessert)
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk (I use full fat coconut milk)

I like to add some freshly diced mangoes to top my pudding and some evaporated milk. 

Directions

Gather your ingredients. When selecting mangos at the market, look for fruit that’s almost “past-ripe” to ensure the strongest flavor.

Peel the mangos, remove the pits and then puree until smooth.

Add the gelatin powder to the hot water and mix well until dissolved and smooth.

Add the sugar and the coconut milk and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved in the mixture.

Add the mango puree and then mix well again.

Pour the pudding mixture into shallow bowls or ramekins, then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours until set.