Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Today I’m
going to tell you how to make Margarita Ice Cream, a really delicious, really
sweet ice cream that you don’t even need an ice cream maker to make. Be warned: it’s a slightly irritating recipe.
As my Facebook friends know, this
is my second attempt making Margarita Ice Cream. It was actually the first ice cream I tried
making way back in December, but I wasn’t too sold on the final product and I
hadn’t started my ice cream blog yet so I wanted to remake it.
Ultimately,
Margarita Ice Cream is really easy to make but a little bit difficult to get
exactly right. The only emulsifier it
has is the fat from cream, and there’s a shot of tequila in it, so you have to
worry about making it too runny (Remember: alcohol won’t freeze – at least not
in the temperatures you can easily generate at home.). The first time I made it, I didn’t let it
churn long enough so it never really set right, basically resulting in a runny
margarita milkshake. This time, I left
it in the machine for over 30 minutes and froze it for two days before
serving. The resulting texture was still
soft like soft-serve, but it didn’t instantly melt either. Without creating an actual custard base,
that’s probably the best texture I can expect.
The second
complication is getting the flavor just right.
The first time I made it, I didn’t calculate for the sugar in the
margarita mix I was using and the resulting ice cream was extremely sweet. It was edible, and my sister and girlfriend
liked it, but I wasn’t quite satisfied.
This time, I was much more careful and very slowly added the powdered
sugar, making sure that it wasn’t too sweet.
However, I’ve since discovered that I don’t much care for powdered sugar
in ice cream. It’s simultaneously dry,
slippery, and hyper sweet. Internet
research has been surprisingly unhelpful in figuring out why this might be,
but I would personally recommend trying another type of sugar.
That being
said, Margarita Ice Cream is a really cool idea and very good in small amounts. It actually tastes like a margarita with a
slight hint of tequila that I really love.
Sprinkle a pinch of coarse salt on top, add a bit of lime zest, and eat
with a gingersnap cookie and you’ve got a delicious treat – so long as you
don’t mind something sweet.
The
following recipe comes partly
from the Food Network, partly
from Wendy at The Weekend Gourmet,
and partly from my own modifications.
Ingredients- ½ cup margarita mix
- 2 tablespoons tequila
- 2/3 cups powdered sugar (or to taste)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Lime for zesting
Directions
- Pour the margarita mix and tequila into a bowl. Mix together. Add in the powdered sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Add the cream and softly whip together until thick and smooth but not stiff.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight (Also possible to freeze overnight and make without an ice cream maker.).
- Pour into an ice cream maker’s canister and freeze according to directions.
- After churned, put into an airtight container to set. Leave to set at least over night, preferably longer.
And
that’s it! If you choose not to use an
ice cream maker, the result will be pretty soft and melt very quickly. Freeze your serving bowl beforehand to keep
it from melting too quickly.
This
ice cream is one that I love on principle but that I don’t think I’ve gotten
quite right. Everyone that tries it
likes it, but I don’t think it’s something that you could eat a pint of; it’s
really more of a special event type.
Personally, I’d like to find a way to make a custard base and use
granulated sugar. If I could just get
rid of that powdered sugar taste and get it a little harder, it’d be perfect.
Overview
- Base prep time: 10 minutes
- Base chill time: overnight
- Ice cream set time: at least overnight, preferably two days
- Taste: sweet and slippery with a pleasant tang of tequila and time; strong powdered sugar taste
- Difficulty level: low to medium
- Expense level: low to medium
- Makes: about 3 cups
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