Friday, June 22, 2018

Salted Margarita Pie


Have you noticed that I complain a lot about the weather? If you haven’t, then brace yourself, because I’ve got a whole lot of sweaty anger heading your way. Let me first say that I am not a fan of summer. All of the other seasons suit me just fine, but summer, no. It’s not that I don’t attempt to get into the spirit of things, I do. I plant things and eagerly watch them grow, I get outside and grill, I dine alfresco as often as possible, and I try, I really, really try to enjoy that season. But the fact is, I don’t. I particularly don’t this year when we went straight from January into the middle of August, temperature-wise. We hit the 90° mark in early May and have not left it since. Hot weather makes me crabby. I don’t mind the cold, there’s always more that I can put on to warm up in winter, as I’m sipping boozy cocoa in front of a cheery fire, reading a good book. In summer, well, there’s only so much you can take off before somebody reports you to the police.

Where am I going with this, you may ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Many margaritas have been consumed in this house since early May. Generally, that’s a drink I reserve for Mexican restaurants in late August, but now, I keep a pitcher of them at the ready in the fridge. I have come to enjoy that citrus-y goodness so much that I decided to turn it into a cool and refreshing pie.

There are a lot of recipes around for Margarita Pie, and I studied those before I came up with this one. My new favorite crust, for just about anything that calls for a crumb crust, is pretzel. I love the sweet and salty combination, and it works beautifully here. I also decided that most of the margarita pie recipes didn’t have enough alcohol in them to suit me, so I upped that a bit as well. I also added the zest of a lime, and what margarita doesn’t have salt on it? So I added that as well. Here is my version of Margarita Pie. It is cool, and refreshing, and somehow makes summer seem not quite as miserable as it really is.
One thing to note -- I piped whipped cream on top of this pie before putting it into the freezer to make it attractive, and because, who doesn’t love whipped cream? But, I would not do this again. It was clearly a matter of form over function because, with its lack of alcohol content, the whipped cream freezes firmer than does the pie. Therefore, while the pie is ready to consume straight out of the freezer, the whipped cream is not. I sent two pieces of pie home with my number one son the other day so that he and his wife could try it out. (I love having taste testers.) They loved the pie, but Christopher, my son, said that he didn’t wait for the whipped cream to soften; he just plucked pieces off and ate them separately from the pie. So, let this be a warning to you. If you plan to top your pie with whipped cream, don’t freeze that cream with the pie, dollop it on separately.
Salted Margarita Pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups crushed pretzels

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed key lime juice
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce triple sec
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
4-6 drops green food coloring (optional)
2 cups whipped cream

Fleur de sel,* for garnish
Whipped Cream, for garnish
Lime zest, for garnish


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Put the pretzels into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until they have been reduced to fine crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter, and pulse until combined. Press into a nine-inch pie pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together condensed milk, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, zest, and food coloring (if desired). In a separate bowl whip cream to stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into filling mixture. Pour into pie crust and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours.

Serve topped with
whipped cream, a sprinkling of lime zest, and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.

*If you don’t have Fleur de sel you can use margarita salt.

If you prefer to enjoy your key lime juice in cheesecake form, then you must try this mouthwatering Key Lime Cheesecake.




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12 comments:

Cee Pluse said...

I am so with you on the summer issue, as it is my least favorite season as well! The heat, the humidity, the biting insects, the poison ivy, the sunburn - as far as I am concerned we could skip straight from spring to autumn and I would be perfectly happy. Here in Georgia we can have summer temperatures all the way into November, which I find especially appalling!

Your margarita pie looks so delicious. I love citrusy desserts. My favorite summer cocktail is a vodka tonic with lime, but I just can't really imagine it in pie form. Maybe I'm just not creative enough!

Crystal Grandeur said...

Looks delicious and love the post. Hugs Sujatha:)

Rustown Mom said...

OH but that Key Lime Cheesecake!!! I'm with you on the heat. It just sucks the energy out of me entirely and the humidity here has been brutal lately.

Mary said...

Pattie, We could form a 'Summer is NOT my Favorite Season' Club...I'll mix the margaritas and you bring the pie for our inaugural meeting! We've had heat indexes in the 100s this week with the mid 90 temps and 85% humidity. Unfortunately fall typically doesn't arrive in my neck of the woods until after Halloween. It's going to be a long, hot summer. Your pie looks and sounds delicious, however sweet & salty is the perfect combo with your pretzel crust. I pinned to my 'Pie in the Sky' board. ;)

Scribbler said...

Oh boy, I am going to do this one! This looks so tasty I can't even wait. Probably I am the last cook on the planet never to try a pretzel crust yet (don't really know why) so this will be a very new experience. Your creativity is always inspiring.

thepaintedapron.com said...

This sounds like heaven to me! Everything is better with a little margarita in your life, right?
Jenna

Sunnyeri said...

I can't even imagine, how people can cook that amazing dishes! Great!
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Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Pattie, reading what you had to say about summer was amazing--it's as if you'd taken dictation from ME! Amen, Sister! Pinning your pie--it sounds fabulous!

Alycia Nichols said...

This would be a great pie to serve this summer! I never considered using pretzels to create a pie crust, but that would certainly help to achieve the sweet and salty dream!!!

The Lazy Gastronome said...

Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party! Have a wonderful week.

martinealison said...

Bonjour,

Humm ! Un dessert qui me semble bien succulent.

Gros bisous

Linda said...

You sound exactly like I do about summer. Having grown up in northeastern Oklahoma where we had normal seasons, living in south Texas is torture to me. My husband loves the heat and hates the cold, so at least one of us is happy!
Your pie looks so, so good and is making me salivate!