Mango Raspberry Lassi with Honey!
easy summer smoothie
Come summer months, I am trying find new ways to circumvent my daughters' aversion to cold milk all while trying to get some natural dairy-based calcium into her! But I had to bow away when she came up with this recipe last summer. Needless to say, we both love it.
This is V's take on lassi – transforming a traditional recipe using ingredients more familiar to her, raspberries and local honey. We used local lavender honey once, and tried it again with a blackberry honey the next time, each time it yields delicately different results. Enjoy!
Mango Raspberry Lassi with Honey
Makes: Twelve 4-oz servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time, Ease: Nil, Easy
Ingredients
4 cups cold water
2 cups fresh raspberries, washed
2 cups unflavored Greek yogurt, cold 1½ cups or 5 ripe Champagne® mangoes, peeled and diced
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup local honey, plus extra to taste
¼ cup raw unsalted slivered almonds, for garnish (optional)
12 mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Method
Start with cold yogurt and water. Do not use iced water, as ice will cause the cream to clot up. Whisk it lightly to break up any clumps. Taste the yogurt, mango and raspberries before you combine, so you know what to expect for sweetness.
For a smoother lassi, puree the raspberries with ¼ cup water, or crush whole raspberries in a food mill. Strain the puree using a coarse sieve and spatula or ladle, reserve the pulp and discard the seeds. This step is optional.
Blend the yogurt, mango pulp or pieces and raspberries or raspberry puree in a blender until smooth. While the motor is running, add a slow stream of water into the blender jar. This will ensure that the water mixes evenly with the yogurt. Stop the blender and sample the blend. Add honey to taste, up to 1 tablespoon per serving. Alternately, increase sweetness by adding mango (pulp or wedges) and blend for 1 minute until smooth. Add the heavy cream in the last 10 seconds and turn off the blender.
Pour into glasses of your choosing, garnish with slivered almonds and mint leaves, drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.
