Crespo Organic Kitchen Archives - Under the Mango TreeUnder the Mango Tree

Vanilla & Mango Almond Granola

June 30, 2024

Drenching oats in mangoes for a sweet, salty crunchy treat

Making your own granola is something I don’t often do, but when I do, I always wonder why I don’t do it more often! It makes sense for me because I get to control the ingredients, which is great since I prefer healthier eating. I’m never entirely satisfied with some of the brands out there, particularly because of the excess sugar, plus I love being weird with ingredients. I love customizing granola to my taste, adding whatever nuts, seeds, or dried fruits I have on hand. I especially enjoy making savory granola, which I often use in cooking dishes as others might use breadcrumbs.

Featured, Kitchen

Mango & Blackberry Cheese Danish

April 26, 2024

A nostalgic childhood memory and an easy {mango-centric} weekend endeavor

As a child, I adored cheese Danishes. Back then (yes, I’m that old) local bakeries were abundant, crafting freshly baked goods daily. Starbucks hadn’t emerged yet, so those artificially flavored, preservative-laden pastries were rare, mainly found in gas stations, packaged for on-the-go consumption. Ironically, even those seemed fresher than today’s Starbucks versions, which appear designed (and grossly) to last indefinitely.

One particular cheese Danish memory from a bakery in Solvang, CA, remains etched in my memory after spending a day there with my dad as a kid. If you ever find yourself near Solvang, CA, a quaint Danish settlement nestled just off the coast in the Santa Ynez Valley amidst vineyards and European-style bakeries, you must indulge. The town still exudes Danish charm, and its bakeries craft the perfect cheese Danish, often with the freshest California fruits transformed into delectable jams strewn atop the Danishes.

A cheese Danish is a pastry with a creamy cheese filling encased in a flaky pastry crust, sometimes enhanced with fruit jam. It’s a cherished pastry worldwide, especially in Denmark, and it’s everywhere in Solvang! Continue Reading…

Featured, Kitchen

Culinary Prowess

March 8, 2024

Women’s History Month, Women’s Day and a Woman’s Work

It’s in the best interest of the industry to prioritize the meaningful inclusion of women in all facets of our business, especially positions of power and decision-making. The rich and intricate knowledge held by women remains an underutilized resource and, in a world, where resources are becoming increasingly scarce, neglecting this valuable asset, appears to me, a form of maleficence.

We grow and sell food and it’s a fact that women know more about food than men. From farm to fork, orchard to table, we all benefit instantly from the inclusion of women. I want to focus on one specific, personally significant space in which women’s knowledge and real life experience is often overlooked in our business —women’s culinary prowess. The culinary expertise of women is a rich treasure trove, directly influencing and contributing significantly to the overall chain’s profitability and sustainability. This impact extends all the way to consumers, ensuring they experience ultimate value, top-notch quality, and an optimal level of excitement – or, in the language of mango enthusiasts, #mangojoy.

Patriarchal placement put women in the kitchen and it has also unequivocally ignored the incredible insight and wisdom they gained from being put there. In our business of growing food and selling food it seems so ludicrous that women still have to fight for inclusion in particular in this light.

Featured, Kitchen

Mexican-Mango Oleo-Saccharum

June 25, 2023

A flavor-laden libation syrup made from mango peels

I love the exploratory process of creating new recipes, getting to travel through so many unknowns as I connect ideas and ingredients. Exploring new and unfamiliar possibilities with my creativity fills me with incredible joy. This new recipe brought a lot of joy in the creation process and in the enjoyment of the drink, which I’m currently sipping on whilst I type.

Featured, News

What the Heck is Summer Mango Mania?

May 11, 2023

Quick answer: #MangoJoy by way of #MuchosMangoes PRICED RIGHT

Summer: the warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August
Mango: a tropical oval or oblong fruit with succulent and juicy aromatic pulp and firm varying color blush toned skin and a hard central pit
Mania: an excessive enthusiasm or desire; an obsession

The mango’s popularity is soaring to new heights amongst Americans as they learn what the rest of the world already knew about the most widely consumed fruit globally. It is versatile and delicious and, thanks to the proximity of Mexico and Crespo Organic, priced perfectly at the peak of summertime.

Featured, Kitchen

Strawberry Mango Bars

April 4, 2023

Here is the perfect early spring easter dessert, really we can’t stop eating it

I adore strawberries. One of my long-standing fantasies is that I will retire in Italy as an organic strawberry farmer. I also fantasize of retiring in Sicily as a mango farmer (believe it or not mangoes grow decently there). This recipe fuses my two fantasies together and I can’t help but feel joy at the heart of this dessert. The combination is sweet and interesting with an ease of complexity.

I love pairing mangoes with strawberries in my recipes because of this flavor camaraderie. This new lemon bar-ish recipe began as a cranberry mango bar in the original idea phase. I am so glad I procrastinated because this spring strawberry version feels more natural and lighter with less sugar use than the cranberries would have called for, thanks to the natural sweetness in mangoes and oranges and my strength in using fruits to sweeten deserts.

Featured, Kitchen

Six Recipes for More Light

March 10, 2023

More time to enjoy sunlight and mangoes

Added sunlight time after the end of a workday is amazing especially for those who work a 9 to 5 job. Try these delicious and easy to make mango-centric recipes for “more light”. These recipes from the #CrespoOrganicKitchen are inspired by Daylights Saving time and with an added hour of sunlight you can enjoy these recipes while watching the sunset and add more #MangoJoy to your light.

Culture, Featured

Egyptian Mangoes

December 14, 2022

#MuchosMangoes inspire as I sail down the Nile

Egypt has long been on my list of places to visit and recently I was lucky enough to spend fifteen days traveling around the country. Not just to see and feel the ancient history but to experience the rich culture and food that I have grown to love with so many of my travels to the middle east for agricultural work.

On this trip I was lucky enough to see almost all parts of Egypt, from Cairo all the way to the southern border near Sudan. I of course got to see the great pyramids in Giza and ride a camel, and visit the tombs and temples of Pharaohs, queens and goddess’. I also got to sail down the Nile for four days – I guess technically I sailed up since the Nile, the longest river in the world, flows from south to North. I met with women in small villages and got to eat some wonderful food in a Nubian village near Sudan and cook with the chef on the ancient Egyptian sailboat. lI earned a lot about Egypt; the greatest take away is how much and how long the country (its people) have been suffering and how little we westerners hear about that and how important mangoes are there.

Featured, Kitchen

Mallika Mango French Toast

August 8, 2022

The silk texture of Mallika’s is perfect for this decadent & easy French toast

This is the second season for our Mexican grown Indian Mallika mangoes and The Crespo Organic Kitchen has been buzzing with excitement. It’s so rare for us to have completely fiberless mangoes and these silky creamy delights are proving fun to create recipes with!

I have long had in my head the idea to make mango French toast, using mango puree in the batter but haven’t gotten around to doing it. Years ago I came up with a great recipe for a food magazine using up leftover eggnog and combining it with blackberries. I loved the taste of the fruit in the toast, much better than too much fruit on top of the French toast.

This year when the Mallika’s made their way into the Crespo Organic Kitchen they just felt perfect for this recipe, and they were and are! While it’s true you can make this recipe with any mango, the fiberless ones are way better.

Instead of the usual sugary whipped cream found on fruit French toast, I opted for fresh strawberry butter, which you can make just by smashing strawberries and mixing them with softened butter!

Featured, Kitchen

“Tis the Season to Get Saucy

January 28, 2022

Saucy and sweet with the perfect amount of heat- Crespo Sinaloa Sauce!

Mangoes are one of the biggest agricultural products from Mexico. In the U.S., mango consumption begins to peak in spring and explodes in the summertime, which coincides with the peak production of mangoes from Mexico. America’s massive mango demand makes them one of the most important products in Mexico. Mexico is also the worlds largest exporter of chili peppers. The idea to merry these two Mexican staples in a beautiful silky sauce was always meant to be. Crespo Sinaloa Sauce was born from connection (a staple in the doings of El Grupo Crespo) and the family’s hometown of El Rosario where you’ll find Empaque Don Jorge I , the first of El Grupo Crespo’s proprietary packinghouses and largest hydrothermal mango packhouse in Latin American (home of Crespo Organic Mangoes). It’s also located in one of the most important habanero production zones. Habaneros were also one of the first crops and exports for El Grupo early on, originally a chili pepper business started in 1960 for the local market. Crespo, Ataulfos and Habanero’s were always meant to be together.

Older Posts

Crespo Organic Kitchen

Vanilla & Mango Almond Granola

Drenching oats in mangoes for a sweet, salty crunchy treat

Mango & Blackberry Cheese Danish

A nostalgic childhood memory and an easy {mango-centric} weekend endeavor

Culinary Prowess

Women’s History Month, Women’s Day and a Woman’s Work

Mexican-Mango Oleo-Saccharum

A flavor-laden libation syrup made from mango peels

What the Heck is Summer Mango Mania?

Quick answer: #MangoJoy by way of #MuchosMangoes PRICED RIGHT

Strawberry Mango Bars

Six Recipes for More Light

More time to enjoy sunlight and mangoes

Egyptian Mangoes

#MuchosMangoes inspire as I sail down the Nile

Mallika Mango French Toast

The silk texture of Mallika’s is perfect for this decadent & easy French toast

“Tis the Season to Get Saucy

Saucy and sweet with the perfect amount of heat- Crespo Sinaloa Sauce!

About Me

Find us on Facebook

Follow Me!