If you are puzzling over your Memorial Day menu or need the perfect dessert to bring along to a get together, you have landed at the right place — especially if your plans include a sunny locale and the company of adults.
I may not always have the best timing, but I do this week. You will want to make this crave-quenching pie for summer’s kickoff weekend.
Strawberry Margarita Pie is delicious fun. It is a little bit naughty, though delightfully so, and seems to charm and intrigue all who try it. A favorite of mine this time of year for a rollicking getaway with friends, this creamy, no-bake, frozen marvel is loaded with the season’s sweetest, freshest strawberries, a heavy squeeze of lime and a couple/few shots of booze. It is such a delight!
And like the most-perfect, say-no-to-sour-mix-and-never-add-Rose’s-lime-juice, best-ever margarita, it is exactly the flavors you want right now to kick off these warm early days of summer. I can think of nothing better to include in your upcoming long weekend plans.
Memorial Day marks the beginning of Summer Season along our otherwise quiet bayside community. From mid-May through the fourth of July, life here along our shared water’s edge picks up dramatically. The summer people, most of whom we do not see much any other time of year, descend like migrating birds ready to relax, replenish, and indulge. This dessert is fully aligned with their It’s five o’clock somewhere vibe, which is as contagious as a virus, I might add, to us full-timers (those of us who live here all year long).
Seeing our friends and neighbors stretched out in various states of repose each day or catching sight of them launching their sailboat for a mid-morning outing on the water increases our vulnerability to catching their “virus.” The virus I speak of commonly elicits such changes in behavior as taking spontaneous dips in the bay or going on midday boat rides in the middle of the work week, or believing a flimsy cover-up thrown over swim attire is acceptable for most any daytime activity, or enjoying longer than usual lunches that may include a bottle of white wine, or dozing in a lounge chair or hammock at previously thought to be unacceptable times. It is a sickness that takes us all down by the time summer is in full swing.
But I digress . . . and I do not want to leave you without these last words.
There is one problem with this lovely pastel-pink, fuchsia-flecked pie: It disappears quickly once it is made. Even with the best of intentions to share, I would say that in my house, we succeed only about 30% of the time, if that.
Strawberry Margarita Pie is a dessert for which mere mortals have virtually no chance of resisting once it has been cut and is within reach. In theory, it keeps very well. I mean, it is a frozen pie, so it would stand to reason. But it only keeps if you stay out of it! Unless I hide it way back in the freezer behind bags of vegetables and underneath an old ice pack large enough to cover my entire back, my husband and I will whittle it away one slim slice at a time, each believing the other will not notice another tiny sliver missing. Before we know it, we are negotiating for the remaining last bites, feigning confusion over how it could be that only a small bit is left.
Lastly, something I find both odd and interesting is that the flavors come through most brilliantly once it gets “melty,” which occurs after it has been out of the freezer twenty minutes or so. My good friend and reliable taste tester emphatically believes this pie is best when you have to use a spoon to eat it, but you will have fun figuring out at what stage of melted-ness you think is perfection. Just be sure to factor in some wait time before diving in.
It is not easy . . . but it sure is worth it.
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Ingredients
1 quart fresh strawberries
4 tablespoons sugar
6 ounces sweetened condensed milk (I use sweetened condensed coconut milk)
2 shots tequila (about 3 ounces)
4 tablespoons Cointreau or Citronage (or triple sec)
Juice of 1/2 lime (about a tablespoons)
1 pint whipping cream (or coconut whipping cream)
1 deep dish graham cracker crust, precooked and chilled.
Lime zest and sliced fresh strawberries, for garnish
Sprigs of fresh mint, optional
Directions
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Clean and dry strawberries, saving a few to use for garnish. Slice all remaining into a bowl and toss with sugar. Set aside.
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Using a food processor, combine condensed milk, tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and strawberries. Process until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate.
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Using a cold bowl and cold beaters, whip cream to stiff peaks.
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Remove strawberry mixture from refrigerator and use care to fold in whipped cream, about 1/3 at a time, until all is incorporated.
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Gently pour mixture into chilled pie shell and smooth. Cover with foil and tent so it does not touch the top. Place in freezer for at least 4 to 5 hours, preferably overnight.
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Remove from freezer 20 or so minutes before cutting. This pie is most flavorsome when it is not hard frozen.
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Upon serving, garnish with lime zest and sliced fresh strawberries. Add a few sprigs of mint, if desired.
Cook's Notes
Make Your Own Graham Cracker Crust ~ regular or gluten-free: It is so easy to make your own crust if you have graham crackers on hand. Grind about 2 cups to crumbs, add a few pinches of sugar and about 1/4 cup softened butter or coconut oil. Mix well and press into a greased pie plate. Prick holes in bottom and sides and bake 10-12 minutes in preheated 350F oven. Remove and cool.
If you need gluten-free: Whisk to blend 1 cup gluten-free, 1::1 baking blend and 1 cup whole GF flour of choice, like sorghum or millet flour. To that, add a pinch of salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 rounded Tbsp sugar, and a hefty shake of cinnamon. Set aside. If you have ground flax, mix 2 Tbsp in 2 Tbsp water and set aside. (If not, any binding agent will do: xanthan gum, psyllium husk, an egg white) Using your fingers or a fork, mix in 1/4 cup softened butter or coconut oil until mixture looks like crumbs. Add a tsp of vanilla, flax mixture (or binding agent of choice) and 1/4 cup water (you may need a little more) to wet mixture. Knead until it all holds together. Press into a well greased pie pan and bake 10-12 minutes in preheated 350F oven. Remove and cool.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: I prefer Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk, and it is becoming easy to find. Nature’s Charm is a brand you can ask your local grocery store to carry for you. notes
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