Grapefruit Salad

What?  Another grapefruit recipe?  Yep!  While I’m in the grapefruit mode, I just have to add a tangy grapefruit salad.  A lovely departure from a mixed salad, this combination of tart grapefruit, sweet gooseberries, fragrant walnuts and zesty pea shoots lightly bathed in a creamy vinaigrette will hit the spot.

Ingredients (serves 2)

4 cups rinsed and dried pea shoots

1 half pint cape gooseberries*

¼ cup lightly toasted walnuts

1 grapefruit cut into segments

Citrusy vinaigrette dressing

Directions

Gently toss ingredients together with vinaigrette just before serving.

* Cape gooseberries look like tiny tomatillos, swaddled in tissue leaves. They are deep yellow, slightly sweet and tart.  Look for them in farm and produce markets.

Citrusy  Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

1 t Dijon mustard

1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 T good extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons peanut oil*

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Place chopped shallot in a bowl.  Stir in mustard and lemon juice.  Slowly whisk in the two oils until a creamy emulsion is attained.  Whisk in salt and pepper to taste.

The dressing can be enlivened with herbs to suit your taste, fresh or dried.  Remember 1 teaspoon of a dried herb equals 1 tablespoon of the fresh.  Tarragon, with its faint licorice flavor, is one of my favorites.  You might consider basil,, savory, chervil or marjoram.

*Peanut oil or canola oil mellows the rich olive oil and allows the other flavors to come through.

Advertisement

Candied Grapefruit Peels

Glistening candied grapefruit peels

Making your own candied grapefruit peel will produce a candy more stunning then you can imagine. I find them irresistible to snack on, although they have other uses as well.  They can be chopped and added to scones, muffins and dessert recipes. Dipping them in chocolate creates a fine delicacy.  Once candied, they will last for months.  If you are a grapefruit fan you will find the sweet bitter flavor punch they pack addictive.

Rosy Grapefruit Sorbet

Sugar tames the tartness of the grapefruit in this refreshing palate-cleansing sorbet.  With only two essential ingredients, it is a breeze to make. (You’ll need an ice cream maker.)  Should you come across a sorbet recipe with water added to the juice, drop it immediately from your browsing.  A sorbet must be intense with fruit flavor and there should be no watering down.

Ingredients (Makes about a quart)

4 large Ruby Red grapefruits

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 T grapefruit vodka*

2 T Campari bitters*

Directions

1. Squeeze juice from grapefruits.  Strain.  You should have about 3 cups of juice (If you have more, add more sugar accordingly.)

2. In a small saucepan mix sugar with ½ cup of juice. Heat and stir just until sugar is dissolved.

3. Cool and add to remainder of juice.  Stir in vodka and bitters.

4. Chill in refrigerator overnight or until cold.

5. Prepare in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.  This should take about 20 minutes.

6. Scoop into a container with a tight-fitting lid and place in freezer.

* The vodka will prevent the sorbet from freezing hard.  It’s not essential if you’re going to eat it the same day, but otherwise highly recommended.  The Campari marries well with the grapefruit flavor, slows down the hardening and gives the sorbet a lovely rosy color.

You can, of course, use unflavored vodka, but I always look for ways to intensify flavor.

Photos by Michael Kirigin

Grapefruit A-Go-Go

Grapefruit Dazzler

I have developed an uncommon love of grapefruit of late, not that I haven’t always relished its tart sweetness.  But in the midst of a heat wave, its brisk, palate-quenching juiciness seems particularly inviting.

Tangy with an underlying sweetness, grapefruit rivals the ever popular orange that shines with many of the same health promoting benefits. The wonderful flavor of the grapefruit is like paradise as expressed by its Latin name, citrus paradisi.

As a matter of fact, I have been delving into all the delights the grapefruit can lend itself to and coming up a grapefruit dazzler, a luscious sorbet, candied grapefruit peels, and a bright grapefruit salad.  Let’s begin with my

Grapefruit Dazzler

Imagine your guests’ surprise when, instead of offering them a cocktail, you offer them quite possibly the most refreshing pick-me-up they’ve ever had.  If you haven’t tried grapefruit vodka, prepare yourself for a stunner.

So here’s what you do: cut Ruby Red or pink grapefruits in half. Figure one large grapefruit will serve two people. With a small serrated knife, carefully cut the flesh from the grapefruits. Cut into 1-inch chunks.  Place half the chunks in each grapefruit half.  Saturate each half with 1 ½ ounces of grapefruit vodka.

Chill well before serving. Add a spring of mint. Cheers!

(Photo by Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm)