I am over the moon with joy today folks. It is the beginning of March and it’s a sunny, 60 degree day in New York City. After what has been a frigid winter (especially for this Floridian) today was such a welcomed burst of joy. Granted, it won’t last long and the official days of spring are still on the horizon, but it was enough to get me in a bright and cheery mood.
After my morning run I prepared one of my favorite snacks. This is something so simple it’s silly to even call it a recipe, but in the spirit of the weather, I wanted to share my simple pleasure—broiled grapefruit—which is simply half of a grapefruit sprinkled with brown sugar and placed under the broiler until it develops a sugary, brown crust.
Broiled grapefruit was huge in the 80s, it held court alongside escargot and chef’s salads on menus in some of the hottest restaurants, but like all food trends, things fade and get replaced by the next hot thing (think Asian-fusion). I was first introduced to broiled grapefruit at this wonderful restaurant in Winter Park, FL called Park Plaza Gardens when they were featuring an 80s themed menu in honor of their anniversary last year.
It’s warm, juicy, tart, and sweet and the perfect thing to enjoy on a cool day when you want to satisfy your sweet tooth and get a nice dose of vitamin C. The procedure is simple:
- Turn on your broiler.
- Cut a grapefruit in half (I prefer ruby red, for both the taste and color) and sprinkle the tops generously with brown sugar.
- Place the grapefruit halves inside oven-safe ramekins (pictured above) or on top of a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place under the broiler, and cook until the juices begin to bubble and the sugar melts, creating a golden brown crust.
- Remove, let cool for a few minutes, and dig in with one of those handy serrated grapefruit spoons.
This is also delicious spooned over a bowl of vanilla ice cream, if you’re feeling extra cheerful 
Tara O'Keeffe