The Only Margarita Recipe You Need

ABOUT THE MARGARITA COCKTAIL

The Margarita is one of the most popular cocktails in North America—for good reason. Combining the tang of lime and the sweetness of orange liqueur with the distinctive strength of tequila, our classic Margarita strikes all of the right keys.

Although many people reach for premade sour mix, we highly recommend using fresh lime juice. The end result is—let’s face it—superior.

When talking Margaritas, it’s easy to get lost in stories about who invented the drink or get mired in debates over salt versus no salt; blended or frozen; triple sec, Cointreau or Grand-Marnier. In our opinion, this version is the tried-and-true recipe for the best Margarita you can make. Memorize it, and you’ll always impress.

INGREDIENTS IN THE MARGARITA COCKTAIL

3/4 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz Cointreau, triple sec or another orange liqueur
1 1⁄2 oz Blanco tequila Kosher salt (optional)

Garnish: Lime wheel
Glass: Cocktail or rocks

HOW TO MAKE THE MARGARITA COCKTAIL

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or rocks glass filled with fresh ice.

Garnish with a lime wheel.

For a slightly sweeter drink, add a dash of agave syrup (one part water, two parts agave nectar) before shaking.

OTHER INFORMATION

Watch top bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout make a twist on the classic Margarita in our How to Cocktail video.

SPIRITS USED IN THE MARGARITA COCKTAIL

Herradura Blanco

COCKTAIL PROFILE

Flavor: Fruity/Citrus-forward Sour

Base Spirit: Tequila

Cocktail Type: Classics Margaritas

Served: Neat/Up On the Rocks

Preparation: Shaken

Strength: Medium

Difficulty: Medium

Hours: AfternoonDinner/Paired with foodEvening

Occasions: Cinco de Mayo

Brands: Cointreau

RUBY RED NEGRONI COCKTAIL FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The holidays have arrived! Parties are in full swing, and the crush will be on this weekend to get some last minute shopping done. It’s always great to pause during the hustle and bustle of the holidays for a good cocktail. Today’s libation comes to us from the fantastic new coffee table book, Southern Living’s Christmas All Through the South.

The book is chock full of gorgeous photographs, recipes for all types of food and drink, traditional and not so traditional. Southerners may be known for their fondness of bourbon, but there are plenty of campari lovers south of the Mason-Dixon line as well.

In less than ten minutes, you can whip up this gorgeous cocktail, perfect for the holidays. I’ll have more to say about this book on my companion blog, Savory Exposure coming soon.

Ruby Red Negroni

Makes 6 servings

2 cups fresh red grapefruit juice (3 large grapefruit)
1 cup gin
1 cup Campari
1 cup sweet vermouth
Crushed ice
1 1⁄2 cups club soda
Garnish: fresh orange slices

1. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a pitcher. Cover and chill.
2. Fill 6 double old-fashioned glasses with crushed ice. Divide juice mixture evenly among glasses. Top each serving with 1⁄4 cup club soda, and stir gently. Serve immediately.

Cherry-Pistachio Trifle

Easy to assemble and beautiful to behold, it's the ideal dessert for a crowd

If you've never had a trifle before, today is your lucky day. Trifle is the ideal dessert for feeding a crowd, because it's easy to assemble but looks impressive, you can make it in advance and it holds up well for a few hours. In this summery version, we layer cubes of blueberry pound cake with grapefruit pastry cream, stewed cherries and pistachios. It's the perfect way to put summer's ripe berries and cherries on display.

If you're prepping this in advance, make all the components up to a day before. Then assemble the trifle a few hours before your guests arrive and hold it in the fridge. That way, dessert is already taken care of, and you can focus on your guests.

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen

    Yield: 10 to 12 servings
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes, plus macerating, cooling and chilling time
    Prep Time: 45 minutes, plus macerating, cooling and chilling time

INGREDIENTS

    For the Pound Cake:

        Unsalted butter, softened, for greasing
        1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
        1½ cups blueberries
        1 cup granulated sugar
        2 teaspoons baking powder
        1 teaspoon kosher salt
        1 cup plain Greek yogurt
        ½ cup olive oil
        ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
        3 eggs

    For the Grapefruit Curd:

        1½ cups sugar
        ¾ cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
        1½ teaspoons cornstarch
        ½ teaspoon kosher salt
        2 eggs, plus 3 yolks
        4 tablespoons unsalted butter
        2 teaspoons grapefruit zest

    For the Stewed Cherries:

        4 cups (1½ pounds) red cherries, stemmed and pitted
        ¼ cup kirsch cherry brandy
        ¼ cup granulated sugar
        2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
        1 teaspoon ground cardamom
        ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
        1 tablespoon cornstarch

    For the Grapefruit Pastry Cream:

        2 cups heavy cream
        2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
        ½ teaspoon kosher salt
        Grapefruit curd

    For Assembly:

        Pound cake cubes
        Grapefruit pastry cream
        1 cup blueberries
        Stewed cherries
        ½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
        ½ cup cherries—stemmed, pitted and halved

DIRECTIONS

        1. Make the pound cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with the sugar, mashing slightly to release some of the juices. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to macerate.

        2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vanilla and eggs. Stir in the macerated blueberries, followed by the dry ingredients; mix until a smooth batter forms.

        3. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut into 1-inch cubes.

        4. While the pound cake bakes, make the grapefruit curd: In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, grapefruit juice, cornstarch, salt, eggs and egg yolks until smooth, then place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain, then stir in the butter and grapefruit zest until smooth. Cool over an ice bath. Then chill until firm, 2 hours.

        5. Make the stewed cherries: In a medium saucepan, combine all the cherry ingredients, except the cornstarch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the cherries have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

        6. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of juice from the cherry mixture until smooth. Then add that to the pot. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until thickened, 2 minutes, and remove from the heat to cool over an ice bath.

        7. Make the grapefruit pastry cream: In a large bowl, combine the cream, confectioner's sugar and salt, and, using an electric hand mixer, whip to stiff peaks. Set 1½ cups of the whipped cream aside. Fold the remaining whipped cream into the grapefruit curd until smooth.

        8. Assemble the trifle: In a 3-quart trifle bowl, layer one-third of the pound cake cubes, followed by one-third of the grapefruit pastry cream, ¼ cup of the blueberries, one-third of the stewed cherries and 2 tablespoons of the pistachios. Repeat this layering process 2 more times to fill the trifle bowl. Spread the reserved whipped cream over the top layer, then garnish with the remaining ¼ cup of blueberries, the remaining 2 tablespoons of pistachios and the halved cherries. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

5 Crucial Mistakes You're Making with Chicken

You're Letting the Legs and Wings Fly

Trussing a chicken before roasting is not just for fussy cooks who put presentation above everything else (although we'll admit, tying the legs and wings so they're tight against the body does make the finished dish look picture-perfect). The practical reason for trussing is to help the bird cook evenly and stay moist. Otherwise, hot air circulates inside the open breast cavity, drying out that portion before the legs are done. It's as simple as taking some string and securing it around the legs, as this video shows.

You're Putting the Bird in with No Blanket

Peterson says another easy way to prevent "roasting a chicken to death" is to cover the breast with aluminum foil during the first 20 minutes of roasting. This will slow down the cooking of the breast meat so it ends up being done at the same time as the thighs. Just tent the foil (don't wrap it tightly) so air can flow underneath.

You're Sautéing Just 2 Pieces of Chicken

Cooking chicken in butter on the stove yields delicious meat that's golden brown and deeply flavored. And while chefs often tell cooks "don't crowd the pan," sautéing chicken is one instance where you really can pack it in. Peterson says your sauté pan should be completely full of chicken; because, if not, the butter will burn over any uncovered patches. The chicken parts need not be touching (small spaces are fine), but don't sauté one or two pieces in a large skillet or everything will taste burnt.

You're Guessing When It's Done

We know an instant-read thermometer is the best way to determine doneness on a whole chicken (it should be 140 degrees where the thighbone joins the rest of the bird, says Peterson). But if you don't have a thermometer handy, use the hand test. Press on the muscle with the base of your thumb; that's what raw or undercooked meat feels like. Now make a fist and press on the muscle again; that's what cooked meat feels like.

You're Starting a Fire When You Grill

Flare-ups are common while grilling chicken, and are usually caused by the fat from the chicken dripping onto the coals during cooking. Although they typically aren't dangerous, they can give the meat a bitter taste (not to mention a light coating of soot). Peterson's advice is to ignore what you read in most cookbooks and cook the chicken flesh-side down first, while the fire is hottest. By the time you're ready to flip it over to the skin side, the fire will have died down somewhat and be less likely to flare up while you're grilling the skin (i.e., fatty) side.

Scientists Say Something Is Very Wrong With the Tomato

Most people looking for a good love apple “end up with crap,” a researcher says.

Many of the tomatoes eaten these days are too big, too firm and just plain dull compared with those from a half-century ago, according to new research.


In a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, a team of researchers say they analyzed the genetic code of nearly 400 varieties of tomatoes ― from the common red supermarket types to the funky heirlooms found in farmers markets. Led by Harry J. Klee, a professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida, the team found many of this generation’s tomatoes have lost key elements that make them taste, well, like a tomato.


To know what makes a good love apple, Klee said, you really have to understand three things that go into the vegetable’s flavor profile: sugar for sweetness, acid for the sour tang, and dozens of “volatiles,” or aroma compounds, that make up the euphoric, tomatoey scent.


“The tomato is unlike some fruits and vegetables in that there’s no one compound that I’d give you that you’d smell and say, ‘that’s tomato.’ Bananas, strawberries I could give you one compound and you’d know,” he said. “You’ve got sugars providing the sweetness, you’ve got acids counterbalancing and 25 or more volatile chemicals that are the aroma of the tomato. Without those you have no flavor, it’d just be completely bland.”


Unfortunately, Klee and his team found, vegetable breeders have grown varieties of tomatoes over the past few decades that are big and firm (and great for shipping), but missing many of these aroma compounds that make for a good bruschetta. Klee said what may have started as the loss of one volatile here and another there quickly cascaded into a flavorless, bland orb not worth its salt.


“If you compare tomato flavor to a symphony orchestra ... you’ve got a piece of music where you’ve got all these different parts to it. If you remove one or two instruments, it still sounds pretty much the same,” he said. “If you slowly remove instruments you might even be fooled that it’s still good, but over time you say ‘wait a minute, it’s just not right.’”


One big exception to the sad state of the average beefsteak is the resurgence of so-called heirloom varieties seen in farmers markets and upscale grocery stores. Those vegetables are often grown using generations-old seeds, selected for their flavor above all else. But they come at a premium.


Klee said a well-known, flavorful variety, the Campari tomato, can cost nearly four times the price of a regular tomato in his state of Florida. However, “most people aren’t willing to pay that difference,” he said, and “they end up with crap.”


All is not lost, however.


Researchers say most breeders haven’t had access to expensive equipment that can gauge the tastiness of a tomato. Using the new data, farmers can opt to plant vegetables prized for their flavor, rather than appearance, and expand on a $2 billion annual market for the product in the U.S. alone.


“We can easily push it back that 50 years and recapture a good deal of the flavor without compromising the modern tomato at all,” Klee said. “It’ll be much, much better than what’s out there today.”

Beef Tortilla Taco Casserole

We're pretty much obsessed with make-ahead meals at Pillsbury, so we created this cheesy Mexican-inspired casserole specifically to be a freezer-friendly dinner. (We've even included instructions for baking it straight from the freezer as well as defrosting it first.) So whether you make it for dinner tonight or prep it now for a time-saving freezer meal later, you're guaranteed delicious results.

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ 25% less sodium taco seasoning mix
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 3/4 cups salsa
• 1 package (12 oz) frozen whole kernel sweet corn
• 6 Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch) 
• 2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)

Steps

• Heat oven to 350°F. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, water and bell pepper strips. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Stir in salsa and corn.

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Cut tortillas in half; place 6 tortilla halves in bottom of baking dish.

• Top with half of beef mixture (about 3 1/2 cups). Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the cheese and remaining tortilla halves. Top with remaining beef mixture and cheese.

• Spray piece of foil large enough to cover baking dish with cooking spray. Cover baking dish with foil sprayed side down. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

• To Make Ahead:Wrap foil-covered casserole in double layer of plastic wrap; label and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and bake:Thaw overnight or until completely thawed in refrigerator. Remove plastic wrap. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is hot (165°F) and cheese is melted. To bake from freezer (no thawing):Heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes or until center is hot (165°F) and cheese is melted.

Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells

Transform taco night with this fun, easy and delicious pasta dish.

Ingredients

1 

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1

 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ 25% less sodium taco seasoning mix

2/3

 cup water

1 

red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips

2 3/4 

cups salsa

1 

package (12 oz) frozen whole kernel sweet corn

6 

Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch)

2 

cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)

Steps

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on box.
2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Add taco seasoning mix, crushed tomatoes and 1 cup of the shredded cheese; stir well until cheese is melted.
3. Fill each pasta shell with about 1 tablespoon beef mixture; place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Top filled shells with plum tomatoes and chopped cilantro; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Expert Tips

If you prefer more heat, try some chopped jalapeños on your shells.
Ground turkey is a great substitute for ground beef in this dish.