Mango "Hollandaise" Sauce

Asparagus is plentiful right now, and although we love this beautiful vegetable roasted, steamed, stir-fried, or merely barely blanched, sometimes we want a little bit . . . more. So the other day we experimented with a low-fat substitute for Hollandaise sauce, and in our opinion, we got it just right on the first try (very rare!).

This sauce, which tastes surprisingly mustardy despite its lack of mustard, worked great on steamed asparagus and as a light salad dressing; there are doubtless many other ways to use it. With only two tablespoons of olive oil, it's delivers maximum flavor for minimal fat.

Mango Sauce

1 small mango (the Champagne variety would be perfect; you could also use half of a big mango or simply double the other ingredients and use the whole big thing)
1 small shallot (either a small Asian shallot or one section of the bigger American variety)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T. olive oil
Pinch salt
Grinding of black pepper

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth and emulsified. Then use liberally on whatever you like.