This Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust is a simple tart made with an easy press-in crunchy, salty pretzel crust and a smooth and citrusy custard filling. The richness of the filling is balanced with fresh squeezed grapefruit and lime juice and a hefty shot of tequila. Then it's swirled with a vibrant pink twist of bitter Campari creating a funky design on top. To serve, the luscious tart is topped with tequila infused whipped and briney sea salt flakes for a balanced, festive finish.
I have mixed feelings on holidays. I'm not big on Christmas, it often brings me more stress than joy. Valentine's Day is a little cheesy. And I'd rather have bad luck for an entire year than spend one night out with all of those drunken fools chugging green beer while sweating through their too tight "Kiss Me I'm Irish" shirts on St. Patrick's Day. Cinco de Mayo, on the other hand, brings out my inner fiesta girl.
This Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust is a perfect Cinco de Mayo recipe
Cinco de Mayo comes at a time of year when we are all ready to shed our coats, fire up our grills
and let loose with a couple-few adult beverages. It's an early kickoff to the summer season and big fat hasta luego to those long, cold months. It's a celebratory day and what better way to party than with this Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust!
As soon as the sun comes out I have an insatiable desire to eat all of the chips
, salsa
and guacamole I can get my hands. And once the temps rise above 70° F, you can finding me whipping up a refreshing batch of my Guacamole with Spicy Cucumbers and Radishes likely, just for myself.
Cinco de Mayo also signifies a shift in ingredients from heavier fare to lighter and brighter recipes with a bounty of spice
and salt. I've been celebrating Cinco with these Margarita Cupcakes for years and when I don't have quite as much time to invest in a more involved recipe, I quickly whip up this Key Lime Tequila Tart. It's always a hit. This year, I decided to turn that tart on its head and mix it up with some added bittersweetness in this Grapefruit Margarita Tart version!
More Cinco de Mayo recipes
A few small alterations to the Key Lime Tequila Tart transform into a whole new flavor story in this Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust recipe. They start with the same crust and filling base but this version has a few festive tricks in the mix.
Incorporating fresh squeezed grapefruit juice layers in a more grown up flavor. Plus this tart uses an additional egg yolk to amp up the custardy, yellow filling. A drizzle of bitingly bitter Campari is added to the surface of the creamy filling and gently swirled in to add a hypnotizing, vibrant, psychedelic pink pattern to the tart. Then there is infused whipped cream, because TEQUILA! The textures, flavors and colors are irresistible bring an added festive flair to dessert.
This tart starts with a simple, 3 ingredient press-in Pretzel Crust
Made with just 3 ingredients, this press-in pretzel crust could not be an easier base to the Grapefruit Margarita Tart. All you need to make the crust is a bag of store-bought pretzels, butter and brown sugar. The pretzels are crushed in a food processor and mixed with the melted butter and brown sugar mixture. Then the mix is simply pressed into a tart pan and baked. Easy as can be!
Mix the easy Grapefruit Margarita Tart filling
The smooth and rich custard filling gets its silky smoothness from sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. As it bakes the Grapefruit Margarita Tart filling transforms into a bouncy, rich custard that's flavored with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and lime juice. Those citrusy rich flavors are mellowed out with a shot of tequila and a bittersweet swirl of Campari.
Create the signature Campari swirl in the Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust
Once the filling is mixed together, gently pour it into the prepared press-in pretzel tart shell. Don't worry if a few bits of pretzels float to the top, it's inevitable. Then carefully drizzle little pools of Campari over the top of the filling. Use a cake tester, wooden skewer or toothpick to drag and swirl the Campari pools into a swirly, swoopy design. The Campari will stay separate as the filling bakes and create a striking tie-dye inspired pattern!
Serve the Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust
Once the Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust has cooled, it needs to set up in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so that filling will slice like a smooth criminal. This 2 hour waiting period is the longest haul of the whole recipe but so worth it. And, like a margarita, this margarita tart tastes best when served chilled anyhow.
Tequila Whipped Cream
While not completely necessary, the Tequila Whipped Cream certainly adds a celebratory look and feel to the tart. But this isn't just any whipped cream, this is Tequila Whipped Cream, hence the party feel. It's made with heavy cream and a little sugar and has a splash of tequila to turn up the volume! Here I got fancy and used a piping bag and tip to add artsy star shaped elements but a spooned dollop of tequila whipped cream would be just as lovely.
Salt your Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust
Just like a Margarita, this Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust is especially satisfying with a salty finish. Add a soft sprinkle of flaky sea salt to each slice of the tart just before serving. It's a enhances the filling flavors and brightens this vibrant tart even more!
Whether you go all in on the Cinco de Mayo celebrations or are just looking for a seasonal treat to celebrate spring, this Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust delivers. I will make just one suggestion though, it's a good idea to make two tarts because people do not hold back with this Grapefruit Margarita Tart, especially when they are hopped up on tequila. I've learned from experience.
For more Cinco de Mayo recipe inspiration, visit my friend Kate's site Hola Jalapeño!
PrintRecipe
Grapefruit Margarita Tart with Pretzel Crust
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
Description
A simple to make tart with a crunchy, salty pretzel crust surrounding a custardy grapefruit filling, infused with a healthy shot of tequila. Swirled with a vibrant pink twist of bitingly bitter Campari and topped tequila infused whipped cream stars and a light finish of sea salt flakes.
Ingredients
PRETZEL CRUST
- 3 cups salted pretzel twists
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITA FILLING
- 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- 1 large lime, juiced
- 3 tablespoons good quality tequila
- 1 tablespoon Campari, optional but encouraged
TEQUILA WHIPPED CREAM
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon good quality tequila
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes, for garnish
Instructions
PRETZEL CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Lightly grease a 9" removable bottom, round tart pan with butter. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
- Pulse the pretzels in a food processor until they are finely ground, with some larger pea-sized chunks remaining. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the butter starts to foam up and brown bits begin to form. Whisk in the brown sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Pour the butter mixture over the ground pretzels and stir to combine. The mixture should look like wet sand. Transfer the crumb mixture into the prepared tart pan and use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly into the pan and up the sides slightly.
- Bake the tart on the the baking sheet for about 15 minutes, until it starts to turn a deep brown and looks set. Set aside and allow the crust to cool completely.
GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITA FILLING
- Turn the oven up to 350° F.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and the egg yolks until smooth. Add the fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, the juice of the lime and the tequila. Whisk until completely smooth.
- Gently pour the filling mixture into the cooled pretzel crust shell. For that optional pretty pink swirl, gently drizzle about tablespoon of Campari over the top of the filling. Use a wooden skewer to swirl the Campari into the top layer of the filling, creating vibrant pink swirls on top of the yellow filling.
- Bake for 15-ish minutes until the filling is set and doesn't jiggle when you shake it.
- Place on a cooling rack and allow tart to cool completely. Once cooled, transfer to the refrigerator and allow the filling to set for at least 2 hours before serving.
TEQUILA WHIPPED CREAM
- Chill the metal bowl and whisk of a stand mixer in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
- Pour the heavy cream and tequila into the chilled bowl and whisk on a medium-high speed for about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat for a couple more minutes until soft peaks form.
- Chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve the tart. If you're feeling fancy, use a piping bag and an open star tip to pipe cute little stars on each slice of tart. Otherwise just dollop it right on top just before serving. Serve with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes to balance out the sweet and tart flavors.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: tart
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