Grapefruit halves, sprinkled with brown sugar and broiled.
The first time I heard about broiled grapefruit, it sounded too weird to try.
My friend George R patiently explained to me how he made it, and how much he loved it. The light in his eyes when he was talking about it should have been a clue.
Yet all I could think of was, why would anyone want to cook grapefruit?
Well friends, the answer is the same for why someone would want to eat hot cereal instead of cold. It tastes good!
Of course it took me over 5 decades to figure it out. Funny thing about food prejudices; they hurt no one but yourself.
Grapefruit is as delicious hot as it is cold, even better hot on a cold day. Try it!
Sprinkle half a grapefruit with a little brown sugar and place it under the broiler for a few minutes; it couldn’t be easier to make. You just broil it until the sugar begins to bubble and caramelize a little, melting into the tangy grapefruit beneath.
Perfect for a warm breakfast on a chilly day.
Broiled Grapefruit Recipe
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 to 2 grapefruit halves per person
If you want your grapefruit a little more browned than what is shown here, just leave it in the broiler a little longer, or broil it a little closer to the element.
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 grapefruits, red or yellow, cut in half (cut through the middle, not the stem end or blossom end of the grapefruit)
- Brown sugar, 2 to 3 teaspoons per grapefruit half
Method
1 Prepare the grapefruit halves: To make it easier for the grapefruit halves to sit in the pan, you may want to cut 1/4 inch off the bottom of each half, so they don’t wobble.
To make it easier to remove the grapefruit segments with a spoon once the grapefruit is cooked, use a sharp paring knife to cut around the edges of the fruit, where the fruit meets the rind.
Then gently cut inside the grapefruit, along the edges of the segments. Don’t cut all the way through the grapefruit, just to the rind if you can.
2 Prepare baking pan: Line a broiling or roasting pan with foil or parchment paper (foil works better, doesn’t burn). Place the grapefruit halves, cut side up in the pan.
3 Add brown sugar: Spread brown sugar over the top of the exposed fruit (not the rind), about 2 to 3 teaspoons of brown sugar per half (more or less to taste). Yellow grapefruit tends to be more sour than ruby red grapefruit, so you may want to use more sugar for yellow than for red grapefruit.
4 Broil: Place under a broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, until the brown sugar is bubbly and beginning to brown and caramelize.
Remove from oven. Let cool for a minute. Eat while still warm.
Links:
Grapefruit margarita from La Cocina de Leslie
Grapefruit sorbet from She Wears Many Hats
Lime, Grapefruit and Ginger Juice from 101 Cookbooks
