Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt into medium bowl 5 times. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large (at least 4-quart) bowl until foamy. Add 2 teaspoons warm water and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff but not dry. Sift sugar-flour mixture over whites 1/4 cup at a time and gently fold in.

Transfer batter to ungreased 12-cup angel food cake pan with removable bottom (do not use nonstick pan).

Bake until cake is light golden, top springs back when touched lightly and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Turn cake upside down; place center tube of pan over narrow bottle neck or funnel. Cool cake completely.

Using knife, cut around sides and center tube of pan to loosen cake. Push up cake. Cut cake from bottom of pan. Transfer to platter. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.) dust cake with powdered sugar. Garnish with crystallized ginger, if desired. Serve with Mango-Ginger Sauce.

Mango-Ginger Sauce: Place 1 cup chopped mangoes in medium bowl. Combine remaining 1 3/4 cups chopped mangoes an sugar in processor. Puree until smooth. Add to bowl with chopped mangoes. Stir in crystallized ginger and lime juice. Let stand at let 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Tarla Fallgatter has been teaching cooking classes for more than 15 years. She was trained in France at Le Cordon Bleu, La Varenne and Ecole Lenotre