By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches
Wait, who said this was a good idea?
Grapefruit Ginger Brûlée
I
was always a grapefruit fanatic. I think it has something to do with my
mom's midnight grapefruit pregnancy cravings that she got when she was
pregnant with me. I love eating grapefruit right out of the fridge, cold
and juicy and full of that wonderful pucker. I eat one half for
breakfast and save the other half in the fridge for a refreshing
pick-me-up later on in the day.
My
husband, on the other hand, doesn't share my grapefruit love. It's too
sour, too bitter, blah, blah, blah. So I was surprised a few years ago
when we stayed at a fancy bed and breakfast that he ate all his
grapefruit. He didn't just eat it, he loved it. You see, the
trick was that it was covered in sugar and then bruleed…which is just a
fancy name for burned or caramelized sugar.
It's
super easy to make at home and it works best if you've got a kitchen
blowtorch or a gas oven broiler. Unfortunately, I have to make do with
the broiler in my electric oven, but that's okay too – but it doesn't
give the sugar a crispy, burnt crust.
This
morning I got fancy with my grapefruit and broiled it with a little
ginger tossed into the sugar mix. I used half fresh grated ginger and
half powdered ginger because my fresh ginger was a tiny stub and felt I
needed to add a bit more of that ginger flavour. Finely chopped candied
ginger would be excellent here too. I also added a bit of sea salt to
counteract the sweet and help balance out the bitterness.
I
used one grapefruit here - half for me, half for the husband. He loved
it. I'm guessing I'm going to have to start sharing my grapefruit halves
from now on.
Grapefruit Ginger Brûlée
1 grapefruit
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar or raw coarse sugar
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger (powdered or candied ginger works too)
pinch of flakey sea salt
Cut your grapefruit crosswise, removing all seeds and cut round the edges and between each segment.
In
a small bowl, mix the sugar, ginger and salt together and then spoon
over each grapefruit. Place on a baking sheet (wipe off any excess
fallen sugar from the sheet to prevent scorching) and heat under your
broiler for 5-8 minutes until the sugar melts and the edges get cripsy.
Or if you've got a blowtorch, use that to melt the sugar to form a
golden brown and crispy surface. Serve immediately.
6 comments:
I love grapefruit but will certainly be trying this version.Thanks for the tip :)
Vicki x
alifeofgeekery.blogspot.co.uk
I have eaten grilled grapefruit in a hotel in Sweden with some cinnamon mixed with the sugar. Also that was a very nice combination.
This looks DELICIOUS!!
Must try! Thanks for sharing :)
this is such an amazing idea, I can't wait to try it!
Matthew Evans (Australian former chef, food critic, now food producer), in his book 'The Real Food Companion', regarding a grapefruit and brown sugar recipe asks ''Did anyone say something about a splash of rum?".
I highly recommend the book. And the rum.
I can so relate, like you, I love grapefruit and eat them the same way you do. I am also a ginger lover and going to try this method with the brown sugar and ginger, broiled under the oven.
Thanks for the idea.
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