I have a serious weakness for all things citrus. Lemonade, lemon bars and lemon cake are pretty much all high on my list of food loves. Grapefruit…not so much.
I love grapefruit scented things (cleaning supplies, soap, face wash etc.), but eating actual grapefruit has never really been my thing, probably because I find it to be so bitter. But this caramelized grapefruit is totally different.
When the grapefruit and the sugar melt together under the broiler, something magical happens. The bitterness mellows out and sugar caramelizes a bit. It’s kind of epic.
The brûleé part may seem fancy and intimidating, but it is seriously the single easiest recipe I have ever posted and it requires only three ingredients.
It’s the perfect recipe to make in your dorm kitchen and it doesn’t require any fancy equipment (I don’t own a baking sheet, but I had a cake pan on hand and it worked like a charm). But it seems fancy enough that you could totally serve it at family brunch. Bonus: this also doubles as a healthy dessert.
Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Photo by Lara Schwieger
Ingredients:
1 grapefruit
1 tablespoon raw turbinado or brown sugar
Agave nectar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set it to broil.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. You will thank me later. (I skipped this step and was very sad when I had to scrub burnt sugar out of the pan.)
3. Slice grapefruit in half.
Photo by Lara Schwieger
4. Using a small paring knife, run the knife gently between the segment lines in the grapefruit (these are the thin lines that form the triangular segments of the grapefruit).
Photo by Lara Schwieger
5. Rub generously with brown sugar and drizzle with agave nectar.
Photo by Lara Schwieger
6. Place cut side up on baking sheet and broil for 4-5 minutes, watching the grapefruit carefully so it does not burn.
7. Remove grapefruit from the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving (you will thank me for this too, I promise).
Photo by Lara Schwieger
For other yummy takes on the grapefruit: