Margaritaville Pie - Week 8

The taste of lime reminds us of the fresh taste of summer.

It is no coincidence that Margaritaville trademarked the phrase "It's Five O'clock somewhere" to help market their margaritas.  After a long day at work, you can't wait to escape to a sunny retreat that promises relaxation. And, the taste of lime puts you on the fast track to unwind after a hard day's work. 

I can remember as a child, tasting a fresh limeade and thinking that it was truly the first refreshment that I'd ever swallowed on a hot summer's day.

The day that Americans celebrate the Margarita is February 22nd. It is placed on the calendar at the time of year where most of us are tired of the being stuck inside during daylight hours only to have our escape from work greeted by the quickly setting sun into darkness.  I think most of us are ready for summer with its warmer temperatures and more sun. 

For National Margarita Day, I fixed up two pies for our family. One which is a non-alcoholic version for the whole family.  It is named Margaritaville Pie, but is really a Key Lime Pie under a different name.

The other pie is simple and should be stored in the freezer for a treat in the evening later in the week. It actually contains only 4 tablespoons of alcohol and could be modified to include less. Several other websites cautioned to avoid the temptation to add more alcohol to make it more boozy. And after tasting it, I agree it has a nice blend.

Both pie recipes included a can of sweetened condensed milk. I had always wondered how this strange thick goo would taste when made from scratch. I looked it up and found this blog: dontwastethecrumbs.com that tried out the process. I figured it sounded simple enough; so I tried it out. It was a good thing that I had the time available in between loads of laundry because it took 3 hours to simmer/condense on the stove. I had to let it condense even more because I used 1% milk rather than the whole milk that it recommended (I ended up using 2 cups vs 1 - 1/2 cups per the recipe). The end result was good because it didn't have the canned taste; however, I will probably stick to the premade canned version in the future because of the time commitment required. I do recommend that if your diet recommends an alternative to the store-bought kind that this is a must-try.

I would recommend squeezing your own limes. I managed to get 3/4 cups of lime juice from 4 limes, however I used a standard size. If you use a smaller key lime it will take more limes to get the required amount of juice. Now to the recipes, so you can enjoy your taste of summer too! Also, buy the name brand vanilla wafers because this brand was not good at all.

Margaritaville Pie (Non-alcoholic)

Ingredients:

2 c. crushed vanilla wafers

2 T. sugar

2 T. melted butter

8 oz. cream cheese

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 t. lime zest

3/4 c. lime juice

3/4 c. cream of coconut

1-1/2 c. (4 oz) whipped topping

Lime wedges and/or lime zest curls

Directions:

Combine wafer crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, add eggs and egg yolk (one at a time, beating well after each addition).  Add condensed milk and beat well. Add lime zest, lime juice, cream of coconut. Beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is set (pie may still quiver). Cool pie and garnish with whipped topping and lime.

Margarita Pie (with alcohol)

Ingredients:

1-1/4 c. crushed pretzels

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. melted butter

15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 t. lime zest

1/2 c. lime juice

2 T. tequila

2 T. triple sec

1 drop green food coloring (optional)

1-1/2 c. (4 oz.) whipped topping

Lime wedges and/or lime zest curls

Directions:

Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Press into a buttered small pie plate. Chill for 1 hour. In a bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and food coloring (optional). Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Pour into cold pretzel pie crust and freeze for minimum 4 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with 1/2 cup whipped topping and limes. Store in freezer.

We enjoyed the fresh lime taste and I hope you have a chance to escape from the "sick of winter" blues and have a slice of pie to remind you that summer is just around the corner.