Joy the Baker » grapefruit

Roasted Winter Citrus

joythebaker — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:41:33 +0000

I’m 87% sure there’s nothing you can do to ruin these perfect creations.

Winter citrus is sparkling!

If I could wear these citrus segments as earrings… I would.

Let’s roast these beauties!

I know. Weird.

Weird… but totally incredible. Warm and salty sweet citrus bites.

Winter citrus feels like such a paradox to me. Cool winds and brisk mornings somehow combine with the juciest, brightest fruit.

They match but they mismatch… just like red and hot pink. Matchy not matchy.

Alright… so what are you going to do with all of this warm, roasted citrus?

I love to serve wedges warm with a waffle or eggs benedict brunch.

They’re also really lovely as a side dish with roasted meat.

You might also consider Winter Citrus Pancakes. Crash! (bang! boom!)

Roasted Winter Citrus

Print this Recipe!

This is so super simple. Your instincts will lead the way.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice citrus (like grapefruit, blood oranges, and seedless tangerines) into small wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt and just a touch of sugar. You might even add a bit of dried herbs, like herbes de provence. No biggie.

Roast for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then serve warm.

Grapefruit Honey Yogurt Scones

joythebaker — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 06:46:31 +0000

Pretty scones with pink fruit.

Also… I clearly have an obsession with patterned plates, napkins and table toppers. And I hate matching.

You should see what I’m wearing today: plaid, stripes, a stupid over-sized sweater, and weirdo shoes. I think I look cute.

Matching just doesn’t suit me- grapefruit does.

Consider these scones to be double grapefruit scones.

First, grapefruit zest is rubbed into sugar, creating the most fragrant and delicious sugar blend.

See? Yummy.

Next, the grapefruit is segmented and the fruit is folded into the scone batter.

Most excellent.

Adding Greek Yogurt and honey adds a really lovely tang and rounded sweetness to these scones. You can totally picture how these would be crazy delicious, right?

I feel like there are all types of scone recipes out there. Some are thick, dense, and stand up super tall.

These aren’t those scones.

This scone dough is more wet than your average dough. The result is a scones that spreads a but more during baking. They also flatten out a bit. That doesn’t make them any less delicious. These scones are light and tender… almost the texture of a drop biscuit.

I used full-fat Greek yogurt, but I do believe that these scones would be just as delicious with a lower fat, thick Greek yogurt.

Ps. I also made a Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake that is a dream come true. I’m a sucker for this combination.

Grapefruit, Honey, and Yogurt Scones

Makes: 6 scones

Print this Recipe!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

1 Ruby Red grapefruit, zested and segmented

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Zest the grapefruit and combined zest and granulated sugar on a clean cutting board. Rub together the zest and sugar with the back of a spoon or a plastic bench knife. The sugar will be tinted a pale orange color and smell of grapefruit. Measure 2 tablespoons of the grapefruit sugar and whisk into the dry ingredients. Save the remaining grapefruit sugar for topping the scones just before baking.

Segment the grapefruit next. Slice off the bottom and top of the grapefruit, exposing the wheel of grapefruit flesh inside. Use a sharp knife to cut away the peel and pith of the grapefruit, exposing the pink grapefruit flesh. Slice in between the white skin segments to the center of the fruit, at a slight angel, circling the grapefruit. Little grapefruit segments should fall from the fruit as you slice. Set segments aside.

Dice cold butter into small chunks and add to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, and working quickly, break the butter down into the flour mixture until butter chunks are the size of oat flakes or small peas. The butter and flour combined will resemble coarse meal. Add the honey, plain yogurt and grapefruit segments. Toss together with a fork until all of the dry ingredients are moistened by the yogurt and honey.

Turn the scone dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form into an 8 inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Use a knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into six scone triangles. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops of the scones with milk or buttermilk, and sprinkle generously with grapefruit sugar.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden brown on top and firm but soft in the center. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with butter and jam. These scones are best served the day they’re made.

Brown Butter Winter Citrus Pancakes

joythebaker — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:47:41 +0000

My goodness. This world has these seasons planned out just perfectly. Amidst super rain, chilly wind and grey skies, we get blood oranges, tangerines and grapefruit!

Big, bright, cheek puckering citrus is perfect for winter breakfast. I know… it happened this morning.

I’d also like to thank the good world for creating coffee and hot cocoa and whole milk… and putting them all in my coffee cup this morning.

Just swell.

You have to treat your citrus right for this breakfast. That means peeling and segmenting. Do you know how to do this?

Cut the bottom and the top off of the citrus, exposing the flesh. Run a pairing knife down the sides of the citrus, peeling off the skin and white pith. At a slight angle, slice in between the white lines of the citrus, creating clean little grapefruit flesh slices.

It takes time, but is totally worth the effort.

See all the brown specks in the blue bowl? That’s the browned butter. Ooooh goodness. So delicious. It’s rich and nutty and a wonderful balance to the bright citrus.

These are my new favorite winter pancakes. Such a treat to my heart.

ps. If you’re as obsessed with citrus as I am, you might also enjoy this Super Citrus Smoothie.

Brown Butter Winter Citrus Pancakes

makes enough pancakes for two people, double the recipe for a larger group

Print this Recipe!

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon citrus zest

2 tangerines peeled by hand and separated

1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented

1 blood orange, peeled and segmented

feel free to use any citrus that makes you happy

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. The butter will foam and froth then begin to brown. When the butter solids begin to brown, keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. The butter will smell rich and nutty. Cook until butter bits are brown then remove from the hot pan and place in a small bowl.

Whisk together egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract and citrus zest. Whisk in the browned butter. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir together with a fork until well incorporated. If the batter is a little lumpy… well that’s just fine.

Let batter rest while you heat up the skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Great skillet with a teaspoon or two of oil or butter. Spoon pancake batter by the 2 tablespoonfuls into the hot pan. Let cook until browned on one side, flip and brown on the other side. Place cooked pancakes on an oven-proof plate in an oven heated to 150 degrees F. This will keep the pancakes warm while you cook the rest.

Arrange the pancakes on a plate, top with segmented citrus and pure maple syrup.

Broiled Grapefruit with brown sugar and ginger

joythebaker — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:09:41 +0000

I’ve learned a handful of things the twenty eight years I’ve been in the world. Really just a handful of things… the rest I’m just making up as I go along.

One of the things I’ve learned: serving someone a segmented grapefruit for breakfast has got to be one of the most loving things you can do. It’s right up there with turning down the sheets or drawing someone a bath. Real life romance.

I know… I know… it’s just a grapefruit, but if you’ve ever segmented a grapefruit for someone other than yourself than you know… it’s love. No joke.

I don’t want to be chained to my measuring cups and teaspoons every time I step into my kitchen.

Sometime I just want to add some dashes and sprinkles… you know? This recipe is not so much a recipe as it is suggestion.

Have you ever had a broiled grapefruit? It’s like grapefruit creme brulee. The brown sugar melts and browns beautifully and the flesh warms slightly. Super simple and super delicious.

So… I definitely ate this warm and straight out of the pan.

Broiled Grapefruit with brown sugar and ginger

serves 1

Print this Recipe!

1 grapefruit, cut in half and segmented with a grapefruit knife

2 to 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, you can eyeball it

a few generous sprinkles of ground ginger

Set the oven to broil and place a rack on the top shelf of the oven. You want the grapefruit to be as close as possible to the broiler heat.

Halve and segment a grapefruit. You may need to trim the bottoms of the grapefruit so it sits up straight.

Place in a broiler safe pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and ginger. Place in the oven under the broiler. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, keeping an eye on it as it cooks. Feel free to rotate the pan as the grapefruit browns.

Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature. Be sure to squeeze all the juice out when you’re done eating. It’s the best part!

Super Citrus Smoothie

joythebaker — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:40:56 +0000

Let’s just close out eyes and pretend we’re sitting under an orange tree. An orange tree heavy with fruit… but with the occasional late blooming blossom. There are honey bees too. Just a few. The friendly kind. The kind of honeybees that remind you that life is full of creatures big and small… and we all have tasks to do.

Let’s just hang out under our orange tree for a while. Right here in the shade, greeted by little spots of sun as the wind spreads the leaves.

It’s nice here.

Sweet. Thanks. I’m glad you’re here.

Simple. Big. Bright. Tangy. A game changer, taking your day from overcast to bright and shiny with just a sip.

Thank you to Tracy and Sunset Magazine for the inspiration.

Super Citrus Smoothie

adapted from Sunset Magazine

Print this Recipe!

Here’s what you’ll need for one big smoothie:

A juicer

A blender

2 Tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

the juice of 1/2 a grapefruit (save the other half for tomorrow’s smoothie?)

1/2 cup fresh orange or tangerine juice

2 tablespoons honey

heaping 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 frozen banana (they blend better when frozen)

1/2 cup ice cubes

In a blender, combine juices, yogurt, and honey. Blend for a few seconds. Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth. This recipe makes one giant smoothie. Yumtown.

Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

joythebaker — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:07:13 +0000

Allow me this space to keep it real.

Part of growing up (and oh how I want to wrestle that concept) is figuring out how to comfort myself. Man alive… that’s a hard one.

We all have our shaky moments, when life flips itself upside down and reminds you that you’re not exactly the boss of everything around you. In those moments, believe me when I say, I just want to hurl myself on the floor and throw a bona fide tantrum. The only problem with tantrums, is that people don’t really cares much as they did when I was three, and it just ruins my mascara.

Then there’s french fries. French fries are far better than tantrums.

Even better than french fries I’ve found, is a good, loud sing. When I needed comfort yesterday, when I was feeling a little shaky, I literally stood in my living room and sang whatever songs came to mind. Loud. With my eyes closed. Like I really meant it. From the inside. It felt so so good.

And then there’s cake.

This Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake is a little bit of sophisticated comfort. There’s a lovely tang and moist crumb from the whole-fat yogurt. The trick to getting the most out of the grapefruit, is to rub the zest into the granulated sugar. Really get in there, creating a super fragrant grapefruit sugar.

Comfort. A cake or a song… what works for you?

Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

makes one 10-inch cake, about 12 servings

The Greyston Bakery Cookbook

Print this Recipe!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Juice and zest of 1 pink grapefruit. This ends up being about 1/2 cup of juice and 1 Tablespoon of zest.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan and line the pan bottom with a parchment paper round and set aside. I used a Bundt type springform pan, greased and floured well and skipped the parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt to blend.

On a clean surface, or in a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and zest. With the back of a spoon or a flexible bench knife, rub the grapefruit zest into the sugar. The essential oils will release into the sugar creating a beautifully fragrant sugar.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and grapefruit sugar until the eggs are thick and pale yellow. Add the yogurt, oil, 1 Tablespoon of grapefruit juice and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted near the center. Place the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake Release and remove the pan sides. Coo completely on the wire rack.

In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar and the remaining grapefruit juice and bring to a boil Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the glaze is slightly thickened. My glaze didn’t thicken significantly, but still seemed to do a great job on the cake. Remove from heat.

To finish the cake, invert the cooled cake and remove the pan bottom. Carefully peel away the parchment paper if you used it. Reinvert the cake onto a serving plate. Pierce the cake all over the top with a skewer and pour the warm grapefruit slowly over the cake. I did this with the help of a pastry brush.

Store at room temperature, wrapped well for 2 days.