mango-buttermilk smoothie

If you think buttermilk sounds weird in smoothies, try this and be transformed. Buttermilk lends a tart, creamy, almost cheesecake-like dimension with barely any fat (buttermilk isn’t buttery; it gets its name from what was left behind when cream was churned into butter, although that’s not really how it’s made today). You can use yogurt if you must. If you’ve had a Mango Lassi, this will remind you of that.

ingredients

1 ripe mango, diced
(see note)
1 small ripe banana, broken into pieces
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Australian crystallized ginger
1/2 cup ice
2/3 cup buttermilk

directions

Place diced mango, banana parts, chopped crystallized ginger, ice and buttermilk in a blender and whirl until smooth. Pour into a large glass and drink.

note: to dice a mango, slice along the sides of the center pit to remove the two “cheeks” of the mango. Place each cheek on a cutting board and with a paring knife, cut a checkerboard pattern in the flesh without slicing through the skin. Scoop out the cubed flesh with a spoon. Cut the remaining flesh off the sides of the pit and remove the skin. Add mango flesh to blender as directed above.