Margarita Ice-Cream

        In Russia we have a saying: “One can’t spoil porridge with butter”. For me it’s an arguable statement but I’m absolutely convinced that “one can’t spoil a dessert with liquor”.

            One of the spirits that I extensively use in my kitchen is Cointreau. I find it to be very versatile and I like the way its tangy flavour adds a zing to any sweet dish, so I never mind putting a splash of this orange liquor into a batter for my cupcakes, my chocolate mousse or a sauce that goes with a warm pie.

When it comes to desserts, I’m a real fanatic of ice-cream (and all sorts of frozen goodies in general), so when I once saw Nigella Lawson in her TV show “Forever Summer” putting Cointreau in home-made Margarita ice-cream (yes, an ice-cream which tastes like the world famous cocktail!), I instantly realized that it was a perfect recipe for me (should I mention that Margarita is one of my favourite cocktails, together with Cosmopolitan which (no surprise) has the orange liquor in it as well?). Bonus: it’s a no-churn ice-cream, so you can rustle it up in a jiffy and the following day you’ll be able to scoop it in a martini glass and serve it to your friends (a dessert that, no doubt, will be a showstopper of the dinner party) or to enjoy it yourself – simply by eating it with a big spoon, straight from a container. Yes, that’s how I usually indulge in my Margarita ice-cream - and I’m absolutely unapologetic about it (actually Nigella confesses that she does the same)! Try to make your batch at home and you will understand why it’s so hard to stay generous enough to share such a yummy treat with anyone else!

The original recipe by Nigella Lawson (www.nigella.com)

Ingredients:

150 gm icing sugar

125 ml lime juice

2 tbsp Tequila

3 tbsp Cointreau

500 ml double cream

Method:

1. Pour the lime juice, Tequila and Cointreau into a bowl and stir in the icing sugar to dissolve.
2.  Add cream and then softly whip until thick and smooth but not stiff.
3.  Transfer into an airtight container to freeze overnight.

Notes:

1. I usually strain the mixture before adding the cream to make sure that there are no lumps of sugar left.
2. A nice way to serve the ice-cream is to scoop it in a martini glass, with rims dipped in sugar or salt.