Margarita Pie (Pastel de Margarita)

February 22: National Margarita Day

Margaritas are a quintessential Mexican drink. As our South Texas home is close to the border, Tex-Mex cuisine and cocktails abound. Margaritas are made with tequila, orange liqueur and fresh limes or lemons. The ingredients also make for a potent pie! Instead of traditional salt crystals on a glass rim, we used sugar in whipped cream to balance the tart flavor of this cool and refreshing dessert. Celebrate National Margarita Day with a creamy cocktail-inspired confection and make margarita pie.

Recipe

(Adapted from a postcard)

Ingredients

• 1 graham cracker pie crust
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• ½ cup lime or lemon juice
• ¼ cup tequila
• ¼ cup orange liqueur (we used Triple Sec)
• green food coloring
• whipped cream to decorate (we used Cool Whip)
• lime slices to garnish

Directions

Whip the cream until thickened. Gradually add the powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate while preparing the margarita flavoring.

In a double boiler (see Notes), dissolve the gelatin in the lime or lemon juice. Stir in the tequila and orange liqueur. Transfer to a bowl and cool in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes until syrupy but not gelled. Fold the liquid into the whipped cream.

Add a few drops of green food coloring. Smooth into the pie crust. Decorate as desired. Garnish with sliced twists of fresh lime. Serve chilled.

Notes

• Our “double boiler” consisted of a saucepan with boiling water over which a sturdy glass mixing bowl was used to dissolve the gelatin in liquids. We melt our chocolates for other recipes in the same manner.
• We decorated our margarita pie with whipped cream using various sized star tips in a plastic/pastry bag.
• Search our blog for more booze-infused dessert recipes.