Flowers are not only pretty; they have meanings. The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, has been used throughout the ages to express messages of love, longing, happiness, desire, pity, and sometimes even suspicion and sarcasm. Although the book Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh elaborates mainly on – ahem! -elaborate Victorian flower arrangements “used to convey romantic expressions,” Shakespeare had already covered this field of flowers in Hamlet, in the famous “Mad Ophelia” scene:
Here is Kate Winslet, of the Titanic fame, throwing sarcastic barbs, thinly disguised as gifts of flowers, to the king who “stole his brother’s wife” (Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5) and the queen, with bitter disdain at her unfaithfulness. But be of good cheer – not every situation in life is as tragic as the fate of poor Ophelia! Here is the inimitable Al Pacino who received an Oscar for his performance in the Scent of a Woman, dancing to Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers:
To make things even more exciting, at our May Lasting Joy club get-together, we have created our own flowers, delicious edible ones, the Secret Mango Flower Pies. You can watch the video here, but I’ll take you through the process – an amazingly easy one!
Get yourself a ready-made pie crust or make one by pulverizing soaked dates with walnuts and pressing the resulting mass into a pie form. No baking required!
Soak raw cashews in coconut milk, with lemon juice, olive oil, and agave. I also add a jigger of rum, just for fun. Leave it be for a while, until your cashews are nice and soft.
Pulse soaked cashews to make delicious cashew cream. That’s your secret pie filling!
The second secret is whipped coconut cream with powdered roasted cashews and cocoa powder. You didn’t expect me to produce a dessert without chocolate, did you?
Now let your imagination guide you in creating a flower of thinly sliced mango. Express your love, your kindness, your sweetness, and your wildest dreams in this beautiful, light and airy, and Oh! so healthy dessert!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ready-made pie crust
- *Alternatively, 12 pitted dates and 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 ripe but firm mango
-
1/2 cup raw cashews1/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews1 cup heavy coconut cream1/2 cup coconut milk*Alternatively, 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup rum1 teaspoon lemon juice1 teaspoon Agave or honey1 teaspoon olive oil1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- If making gluten free crust, soak pitted dates in water for 15 – 20 minutes, or until soft to touch. Pulse together with walnuts to get homogenous paste. Press paste into pie form. Refrigerate.
- Soak raw cashews in coconut milk (alternatively, soak raw cashews in coconut milk and rum), with lemon juice, olive oil, Agave or honey, and vanilla extract for 15 – 20 minutes, or until soft to touch. Pulse to get cashew cream.
- Fill pie crust with cashew cream. Refrigerate.
- Pulse roasted cashews to fine powder. Add to coconut cream, add cocoa powder, whip until stiff peaks. Spread evenly on top of cashew cream. Refrigerate.
- Slice mango as soon as possible. Insert mango slices into topping vertically, going from edge towards center. Save 4 – 5 of the thinnest slices. Roll the thinnest slice, insert in center, form flower around it.
- Alternatively, sprinkle some roasted cashew powder and/or cocoa powder on top.
[ Smiles ] This recipe looks delicious. I suspect that it is a little fattening; it may sabotage my slim figure.
By the way, I can always eat this and run 15 miles afterwards with the intentions of burning off the excess calories.
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Dear Renard, research has indicated that 15 minutes of vigorous sex burns as many calories, as 30 minutes of walking or 60 minutes of swimming. Save time!
Thank you so much for your comment, but what fo you see in it that is fattening?
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[ Laughs ] That would be one cup of heavy coconut cream.
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So who says that vigorous sex should be limited to 15 minutes?
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I adored ‘The Scent of a Woman’ and Kate Winslet did an unsurprisingly great job in that ‘Hamlet’ – both clips were wonderful reminders of great movies. The cake though … oh boy! That cake looks divine. The flowers are certainly talking to me over here and I think I may just have to indulge in a flight of mango fancy following your excellent recipe
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment, dear Osyth. You’ll probably see more mango recipes here, as we are gearing up to the Mango Festival. That pie, though, literally “takes a cake” in every possible way. It was INHALED!
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I’m not at all surprised! I have my stepson here at the moment and he has such a sweet tooth but is trying to go sugar free. I am helping that and I have told him he needs to listen to the mamma who listens to the acutely wise and talented Dolly. I think I will buy him a copy of your book when he moves to his new apartment. He is a history major with a masters in Medieval Studies so your style of writing and your style of cooking are just the ticket
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I like history majors, especially those interested in Medieval Studies, although my passion is Renaissance.
I think “acutely wise” is the overstatement of the century, and “talented” is purely sibjective. I am just a funky cat! 😻
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And you know modesty which is very very important. I’m with you on the Renaissance and my own focus tends to be later yet but the real thing is that history is SO important as a subject. Taking the time to understand what went before and what shaped the timeline we are part of should be critical to understanding where and why we are now. Now if certain world leaders would take that lesson on board …. pinch me, I’m dreaming of pink elephants again!!!! 🌈
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“If we don’t learn the lessons of history…” etc.
As to pink elephants, I recall a Russian joke about a pink alligator who was led on a leash by a guy. The alligator kept whining about his discomfort: on the street, on a bus, in a taxi cab, until the man finally said,” Listen, one more word out of you, and I’have another vodka, and you will – poof! – disappear!” I suspect this is wha’t happening to us and our world now: one more word, and we might all go poof!
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I love that. Will be sharing it with a few friends along the way …. it resonates!
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Glad you liked it!
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🙂
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Interesting that your filling consists of cashews and coconut cream. I didn’t know such a thing existed. Like whipping cream, right?
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There is cocnut creamer that is thin, like a coffee creamer, and then there is heavy coconut cream, which is like whipping cream, like you see on my photo. It is also pretty sweet, so you don’t need any extra sweetener. The cashew cream filling is THE BIG SECRET – that’s what make it so good!
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It looks yummy!
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Thank you, darling, and it is, even with my spelling mistakes LOL!
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Thank you so muchy for pingback!
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I always liked the combination of coconut and mango. Beautiful looking pie! 🙂
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Thank you so much, Ronit!
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Your cake looks amazing and with such ingredients, it can only taste like heaven Dolly 😀
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Thank you so much, dear Irene! I am so glad to hear from you, and I hope you are doing well!
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Thank you too Dolly. I’m in the right way, but haven’t had abundance for blogging for a while. I hope, this will change again. Wish you a beautiful day.
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I am so glad to hear that your are mending, darling! Have a great day as well!
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Thank you Dolly.
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😻
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Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine and commented:
It looks delicious.
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Thank you so much for reblogging and for a lovely introduction.
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You are welcome, it is a beautiful pie!
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You are very kind!
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Вау! Это выглядит божественно!
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Спасибо, дорогая! Стараемся!
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Great! And movie too 😊🌹😘💕
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Thank you so much, darling, and I love this movie, so I wanted to share.
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Dolly, Never knew that there was such a word used for the language of flowers, glad you shared it. The healthy dessert looks and sounds great. I am sure it is very delicious and I like that you have a touch of chocolate in it!
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Ah, Gary, I have a touch of chocolate in everything, you know! Thank you for your comment, dear friend!
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Everything with mango and nuts fake base😍😍😍 Mmmmm…
And this cake is so beatiful too😊😊
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Thank you so much; we aim to please! 😻
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It looks yummy, plus I love mangoes… alas, most of the ingredients are not available in my area, especially the raw cashews.
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Dear Ren, I haven’t tried but I am pretty sure you can duplicate it with almost any other nuts that are available to you. Walnuts will be an easy substitute, and I am thinking of experimenting with pistachios. Thank you for your comment, and good luck!
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And cashews are very expensive ! I’ll try walnuts… they’re the least expensive.
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I didn’t know that! Here they cost the same as walnuts, both raw and roasted. Good luck, darling!
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This does look fantastic funky cat. I ♥ it
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Thank you so much, dear frend! 😻
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Looks delicious. Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits. I love the champagne variety the best.
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I am with you on that! Thank you so much for your kind comment, darling! 😻
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This dessert looks and sounds amazing, Dolly. Thanks for the flower information too.
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Thank you so much, Robbie; I am so glad you like it!
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Oh, how scrumptious!
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Thank you so much!
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In Mexico, beach vendors sell whole skinned mangoes on sticks that are cut into the shapes of flowers. Your post reminded me of that. Yum.
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Oh, please, Judy, take a couple of pictures when you have a chance! I’ll do another mango post and convey it to the Mango Festival people. The festival director is a friend, co-organizer is another friend, and I am trying to be helpful. The festival will be on the beach, a block away from our house.
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i spent an hour sifting through photos trying to find one of the mango stick but couldn’t. I’l take photos when I go to the beach in January. Promise.
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Thank you so much for making an effort, Judy!
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This looks absolutely DELISH!!!! And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mangos!
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment, dear Roshonda!
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You’re so welcome. 💗
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I’ve never heard of this recipe, it has to be a secret. What a delicious looking speciality!
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Nobody has ever heard of this recipe – I invented it! Thank you so much for your lovely comment, darling!
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hello kool kosher kitchen its dennis the vizsla dog hay wow that luks like kwite a pie!!! hmm i wunder if pie is on my diet??? ok bye
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Thank you, dear Dennis! I’ll make you a deal: you ask your mama about your diet, and I’ll ask mine to make you a pie!
Squeak-squeak, little Pyshka
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Well written 💖
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Thank you so much!
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Fabulous Dessert Dolly.. and love Mangos..
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Thank you so much, Sally, for stopping by and for a lovely comment!
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Pleasure Dolly hugsxxx
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😻
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Sounds like a wonderful summer dessert. ❤
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Thank you so much, dear Anna!
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Reblogged this on koolkosherkitchen and commented:
With all the distress caused by the pandemic, let’s celebrate the Pie Day (3.14) with delicious flowers. Enjoy, Beautiful People!
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As always, Dolly, you have come up with such excellent clips. I had not known Kate Winslet could sing like that, and, not knowing The Scent of a Woman I had not known Al Pacino’s character was blind until I saw this performance.
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Thank you so much, Derrick. The Scent of a Woman is a wonderful, very poignant film worth watching, if you have a chance.
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OMG – this has got to be out of this world!!
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Thank you so much, GP!
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Hands up…I use cashews nuts in many recipes I have never used them like this…I think it is time I did …Coconut cream always it makes a great dairy free treat…BM for later…Thank you for sharing this delicious looking recipe, dear Dolly 🙂 x
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I am so glad you like, dear Carol!
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
SECRET’S OUT. 😀
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Thank you for reblogging, Jonathan.
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THE RIPE AND JUICY MANGO—THE MANGO OF LOVE…! (a SONG i LEARNED IN COLLEGE) !—AT ONE OF THOSE PERFORMANCES IN THE STUDENT UNION.
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I had to go to Youtube to find this song! What a shame I hadn’t known it when I wrote this post. Next mango recipe, for sure.
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WHEEEL—the song’s not the most peaceful- being–about love and all!
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It works sometimes…
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😀
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Oh this looks divine. I love dates and would never have thought you could make a pie crust with them. I should try this on a ‘naughty’ day.
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Thank you so much, darling! I am so glad you like my funky creation.
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