Margarita Ice Cream Pie

 I've seen a few takes on a margarita-flavored pie. Most of them are based on sweetened condensed milk, so it's more of a lime margarita-flavored curd like you'd have in a lemon meringue pie. The recipe I based mine off of uses ice cream and sherbet, but calls for a graham cracker crust which is just not it. 

My take uses a homemade pretzel crust, held together with butter & sugar, very similar to this one: https://southernboydishes.com/2014/04/25/margarita-ice-cream-pie-a-cookbook-giveaway/ I put a bit more butter in, bake it a bit longer, and I always use a pie dish. The filling is vanilla ice cream and tequila, and lime sherbet and frozen concentrated margarita mix, and a little lime juice, lime zest, and kosher salt. 

Ingredients: 

Crust:

• 4 cups of pretzels or 2 cups of pretzel crumbs
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp sugar

Filling: 

• 3 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1/3 cup frozen margarita mix or limeade concentrate, thawed
• 3 cups lime sherbet
• 2 tbsp tequila + 1 tbsp orange liqueur such as Triple Sec 
• Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tbsp)
• Zest from 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp kosher salt (I use pink Hawaiian sea salt)
• Lime slices for garnish (optional)
• Whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Directions: 

1. Preheat overn to 350F. If using whole pretzels, place in blender or food processor and blend until fine crumbs. Place the pretzel crumbs, butter, and sugar in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Lightly grease a pie dish or 10" springform pan. Place the pretzel mixture in the dish or pan and spread thoroughly, pressing up the sides firmly. For a pie dish, spread all the way up; for a springform pan, spread 1/2 to 1" up the sides. Place dish or pan in oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, then let cool on wire rack. 

2. In medium bowl, stir vanilla ice cream enough to soften. Stir in margarita mix and place in freezer just to firm up slightly. 

3. In another medium bowl, stir lime sherbet enough to soften. Stir in tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and lime zest.  

4. Remove vanilla ice cream from freezer. Working quickly, drop spoonfuls from each bowl randomly into the prepared crust. Once all of both mixtures is in the crust, use a spoon to gently marble and level the mixtures. Sprinkle kosher salt evenly over the ice cream mixture. Cover prepared pie with foil or plastic wrap and return pie to freezer and freeze until firm, 4 hours. 

5. To serve, remove from freezer and let stand about 15 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges. Garnish with lime slices or whipped cream if desired. Return any uneaten pie to freezer.