Practical Magic Party 2010

A day late - and I sincerely apologise for my unpunctuality - but here is my tardy contribution to the Practical Magic Blog Party.

As I'm sure is the case for scores of the film's fans out there, this is one of my favourite scenes...

Eye of newt, toe of frog, wing of bat, tongue of dog.
Adder’s fork and blind worm’s sting…
Barbados lime is just the thing.
Fragias salt, like a sailors stubble…
Flip the switch, and let the cauldron bubble

Many a nights have been spent with my friends, squeezing countless limes to make batches of 'Midnight Margaritas' and dancing around to Harry Nilsson's 'Coconut' in fits of giggles. I think it is this scene from the film which best succeeds in capturing the wonder of 'family', whether that be the one you're born into, or the one you choose for yourself: the quirks, the in-jokes and traditions and the silliness that can only be truly shared when you just know each other that well. 

With this in mind, I give you a wonderful recipe, which captures that joyful naughtiness in an indulgent, creamy ice-cream, courtesy of Nigella Lawson...

Margarita Ice Cream

Ingredients

* 125ml lime juice

*2 tbsp Tequila

*3 tbsp orange liqueur (Cointreau or Gran Marnier)

* 150g icing sugar

*500ml double cream

Method

1. Pour the lime juice, Tequila and orange liqueur into a bowl and stir in the icing sugar until it dissolves.

2. Add the cream and whisk until the mixture is thick and smooth but not stiff - soft peaks should form.

3. Spoon the mixture into an airtight container and put into the freezer overnight.

You do not need to remove the ice cream from the freezer in advance of serving as it won't freeze too hard and melts pretty quickly. It really is a lovely, tangy treat and one which looks and tastes impressive without actually requiring much work. 

I hope you have fun trying this one out - perfect for a girl's night in with the Practical Magic DVD. 

Blessings.