Strawberries on the brain but I've got grapefruit in my bowl

by Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

I know that there's all kinds of bounty just waiting for me at the local markets. Rhubarb is here right now and while I've been tempted by the California strawberries, I'm still resisting the pull until our local berries are in season. The wait is murder especially when spring holds such promise.

Looking ahead is nice, but when my fruit bowl is still populated with winter citrus, I can't be feeling too wistful. I've got oranges and grapefruit lingering so I decided that I'd make a bright and juicy fruit salad to accompany some freshly baked scones for my breakfast. Wanting to punch up the flavours, I went with some fresh ginger along with lime juice and zest. I like things on the tart side, so I took it easy on the sugar, but if you like things sweeter feel free to add more.

I went the lazy route (it was early morning and I hadn't even had my cup of coffee yet) and didn't segment my citrus. But if you've had your caffeine fill and want to spend the time, go ahead and segment your fruit. It does make things a bit easier to eat as grapefruit does have hardy inner pith. CHOW has a great how-to video if you need the help.

This is a tart and satisfying fruit salad and while it probaby won't crush your cravings for the fruit that lies ahead, it does help to quell those winter fruit blahs. This salad is also delicious and much more zingy the next day.

Ginger-Laced Citrus Salad
2 large pink grapefruit, skins removed with a knife & segments diced
5 blood oranges, skins removed with a knife & segments diced
juice & zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon of finely diced fresh ginger
1 - 3 heaping tablespoons of sugar or agave syrup (depending on your sweet tooth)

Prepare the grapefruit and orange by removing the skin, seeds and pith with a knife. Chop into bite-sized pieces and along with any juice, add to a medium-sized bowl. Add in lime zest and juice, along with the ginger and give everything a toss. Sprinkle with sugar or agave and toss again. Let sit for 15 minutes to let the flavours meld and then serve.

Jan Halvarson

4 comments:

shellie said...

This looks delicious...but i love grapefruit so much i bought a tree a couple of years ago...so now i have my own ruby reds all i need is a blood orange tree...go ahead buy some california strawberries...we will love you even more for it!

dahlhaus said...

soulflower, I'm jealous of your grapefruit tree... must be wonderful to get out of bed in the morning and pick a fresh grapefruit for your breakfast:)

MAYBELLINE said...

Go ahead. Please buy the Californian strawberries. We need the money!
Thank you.

Joanne said...

Yeah, I can't wait for local strawberry season here either!! There is no comparing local fresh berries to imported picked when unripe bland berries! (Sorry ladies above)
Out of desperation, I purchased a huge bag of frozen berries i.e blue, rasp, black and straw and I'm in heaven! I let them defrost a bit before eating and it's like having chunky berry sorbet.
Your citrus salad looks so pretty with all it's vivid colours but I must confess, sour grapefruit and I are not pals. Not even lotsa sugar will persuade me to dive in but maybe whipped cream would :)