Mango Petit Gâtea
8510 NW 17th Street
The Equestrian Hotel
Ocala, Florida, 34482
(352) 414-7866
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When developing The Equestrian Hotel and the massive World Equestrian Center around it, the founder hired a pastry chef before anyone else. That man, Yohann Le Bescond, now works with restaurants, catering and casual restaurants around the property. Yet this one dessert — Mango Petit Gâtea — might best represent his work. The mango-shaped treat is sold in Emma’s Patisserie, a bright and bustling counter-service bakery that also offers coffee drinks and grab-and-go salads. The dessert’s exterior resembles a ripe mango. Cut it open and you’ll see two layers — a center of caramelized mango gel encircled by a firm yet frothy mango mousse. They sit atop a thin base of almond cake and shortbread cookie. To achieve that tempting texture and color, the pastry chefs spray the finished product with three different shades of cocoa butter. Every mango is therefore one-of-a-kind.