Marbled mango pie

Every year I eagerly look forward to the fall season  for the beautiful weather and the changing colors of the leaves. Growing up in India there were just two seasons, summer and monsoon. I remember waiting for June/July when it would start raining and brought the temperature down. It was a break from the unbearable summer heat. I loved the beautiful scent of earth that accompanied it. The trees would look bright green and clean.

Food can't be too far behind when I am thinking about weather.  Rain meant eating bhutta (roasted corn)  samosas and pakoras with a hot cup of tea! I do miss all that. Here we don't really have a season for rain..it just rains whenever it wants to  in summer, spring, fall or winter. It doesn't bring out the lovely smell of earth, but I still like rain as long as it is not accompanied by a hurricane or a tornado. 


Fall lasts for a short time and before we know it is winter. But I like to feel and experience this short season as much as I can. I made this pie to celebrate the lovely weather outside. It is something I have been making now for several years. It is not my original recipe and I don't remember from where I acquired it. I made a few changes to the original and I often use the basic recipe to make  pumpkin or banana pie with it.

Ingredients for two pies

2 1/2 packets unflavored gelatin

4 oz cream cheese

8 oz sour cream

11/2 cup sugar

1/2 can mango pulp

1 can condensed milk

2 graham cracker pie shells ( I made my own. Recipe follows)

2 cups water

Method

Boil the water and dissolve the gelatin in it. Stir in the sugar until it is dissolves. Blend mango pulp, cream cheese and sour cream. Mix condensed milk with half-cup gelatin and keep it aside. Pour the rest in with the mango pulp mixture. Stir both the mixtures well. Pour the condensed milk first in the pie shell then pour the mango pulp mix. Top with a drizzle of condensed milk mix.  Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.

 For the pie crust

24 Graham crackers or Parle G (I used Parle biscuits)

6 tbsp. ground almond or almond flour

5-6 tbsp. melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

To make the crust grind the crackers and mix in the almond flour, butter and sugar. Spread it in a pie dish and press it well all around the dish to make a crust.