Oishii Mango Walnut Tarts

Way back when I was in high school my brother was given a recipe. Typical of these kinds of stories: it was given to my brother by a classmate, who got it from her brother, who in turn got it from his best friend who had to coerce a chef from Makati to reveal this recipe for Mango Bars.

I didn't think much of the recipe because I was very much into chocolate even then and only baked non-chocolate stuff when needed. I was very pleasantly surprised when my mom eventually got around to making it in 1984 because I ended up liking it very much. I didn't need too much persuasion to make it after that.

I love mangoes in all their different shapes & guises but the only baking I ever did with them was through a fantastic mango cake that I used to beg my mom to bake again & again.

It was a shame to let the recipe gather dust so I resurrected it in the 90's as a pastry. To make the transition I had to adjust the already almost perfect recipe. The buttery caramel like crust just goes so well with the tartish sweetness of the mangoes. The large amount of walnuts gives a pleasant contrast and provides substance and bite to an otherwise tender pastry.

Given the Japanese predilection for mangoes (in all shapes & guises) it comes as no suprise that it was such a hit with my Japanese friends. Totemo oishii ne?