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
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!
Eileen Doyle
Wonderful memories of the 70s! This was a popular starter for dinner parties – with a glace cherry in the centre! ED
Lacey
Omg, this has become my favorite morning meal!! I have made it every morning for the past 5 days. Not only is it a delicious way to eat a grapefruit, but as a single working mom who has to get 2 boys up every morning & get us all ready for the day to leave by 8 am, it’s super easy & quick too!
Kayla @ Fitter Than Choc
Yes, broiled grapefruits are heavenly! My favourite will have to be maple syrup + cinnamon. I have tried broiled grapefruits with honey and fresh ginger, and liked it too. I have yet to try this combination of yours, but from the looks of it, it must be totally lovely!
shirley
I have made this twice now…. its so tasty and beautiful too. thanks
Leah
Made this recipe this morning for me and my roommate. She was concerned when she saw me pulling citrus out of the oven, but she was converted once she got the first bite to her mouth. I made it with regular sugar and grated ginger since I just moved across states and haven’t fully stocked my pantry yet, but still amazing.
I love reading your blog, I’ve not done much cooking or baking, but reading your blog is really inspiring me to make the effort! Keep up the great work!
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets
Aw this reminds me of my best friend who peels grapefruit (yes, like an orange) and then removes the skin from each segment before daintily eating each piece with a sprinkle of sugar. I suppose that’s a sign that she loves herself 8). Anyway, I love grapefruit in all forms so this looks right up my alley.
David
dear joy,
I made this today for me and mom for breakfast. It was so good and so easy i could have made a dosen of them! So good! Thank you for sharing!
Shelly
OK…just made this and my 3-year old can’t get enough. Thanks for such a delicious approach to grapefruit!
Shelly
YUM!!!!!
Beth
Yes,I show “love” everytime we have grapefruit….sectioning it for my husband. One thing that is a must in every grapefruit eating household is the grapefruit knife from Pampered Chef. It will cut your time in half and you can then “share the love” with your favorite (and spoiled) person. Love that recipe, but will try it with ginger.
Maria
What a great idea! I usually don’t eat grapefruit (too tart) but the baking really mellowed out the flavor and I used honey instead of brown sugar- it rounded out the flavor and it was warm and sweet, and delicious! Thanks, Joy!
Michelle
If only grapefruit wasn’t a no-no with my medication :( *sigh*
Alex
So Yummy! Thanks for the idea
kate
Just wanted to say that made me smile. DH is still amazed that I am willing to do it.
Deese
So my “future Mother-in-Law” and her friend are visiting and they LOVE grapefruit. Consequently, we have a large bag of this tart citrus and I just happen to have brown sugar and ginger in my pantry…can you guess what I will be making for breakfast?
Thanks for posting this!
:D
Meghan
that sounds amazing. I’m adding grapefruit to my list right now!!!
erin fae
please tag vegan for future searches. Trying making this right now. nom
Hannah
I never understood the whole “grapefruit for breakfast” routine, but if it was served like this all the time, I’d be willing to give it a shot!
Melanie
Hmmm… I don’t have any grapefruit.. I guess Oranges would work? :)
Renna
I’m willing to try it, but I’d never have thought it would be good. Now, if only I had a grapefruit on hand, I’d go do it right now!
Sandy
this looks really good! i should try grilling fruit once in awhile =)
Krista
It is indeed a wonderfully loving thing to do. :-) These are beautiful, deliciously simple and lovely. :-)
Melanie
I don’t eat grapefruit but this one I might try!
Susan
I just received a box of grapefruits from Florida. Love broiling them – now I will try the ginger. Sounds delicious!!
Val
I’ve only had grapefruit once and thought it was insanely bitter, I wonder if I would like this?
Jess
I often forget that I can cook fruit. I know – weird. I appreciate the subtle reminder that my broiler loves grapefruit, and I should make this immediately.
Stephanie
This looks amazing!
Nirvana
This recipe is so perfect! I can’t wait to try it!
Lindsey
I have grapefruit every morning. I heart grapefruit. I must admit I’ve never tried broiling it though. Sounds interesting. Thanks for the idea!
GrapeSugar
I have never heard of this! I eat grapefruit all the time though, so I must try this!
Have you tried the grapefruit knife from Crate and Barrel? It is the best invention ever! It is a double sided knife, one end is a slightly curved traditional knife to go around the circumference. The other end is a double knife, so two blades surround each membrane. Seriously, it is the best thing ever!
Thanks for the great idea, I can’t wait to try it.
Katrina
I love the simpleness of this recipe! I am going to make this RIGHT NOW!
Tay
Another way to serve grapefruit…I’ll have to try that one day.
Jessica
I usually prefer my grapefruit unadorned, but since discovering your blog I have become a wee bit obsessed and now refer to it the others would the gospel (too much?). I think I am going to have to try it out next time.
Marie
Delicious…we had this last night!
justJENN
I made this last week (sans ginger) and haven’t gotten around to posting it yet! Isn’t it the best??!!
Shannon @ bakeandbloom.com
Just wondering about those lovely burnished pan juices, do they turn bitter or are they good to pour back on top of the grapefruit?
Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
This looks bright, yummy, and so simple. Love this idea!
Emily Catherine
If you don’t want the grapefruit to roll all over the pan… you can also just stick them on muffin tins! It works great!
Heather @ chiknpastry
Nope. Never broiled grapefruit. But I can imagine it’s lovely just like all kinds of other broiled fruits I have tried! And the Ginger, perfect addition! Tell yur sis her city rocks- I’m there now and using free wifi in a coffee shop to catch up on some of my google reader on my lil iPhone!
Jacqui
This sounds so good right now! Such a good idea and so simple too!
beckie
Broiled brulée grapefruit with ginger is one of my favorite things in the world! It’s warm, juicy and delicious and yet it feels healthy because it’s a grapefruit! Actually, during a really tough battle with the cold/flu last year, I learned that it’s great when you’re feeling sick. I never thought to segment it first though! This is awesome.
DeeDee
This recipe IS Christmas morning to me. My mom would cut and section grapefruit for all of us – now that is love!
Marissa
why have i never heard of this??! i LOVE grapefruit, and i LOVE cooked fruit.
you are fantastic. i will definately eat this soon :)
Dawn
Oh this sounds so delicious. Too bad I just ate my last grapefruit last night. Next time it will be on my “to try” list.
Barbi
I love the way broiled grapefruit gets even more juicy. My husband has always eaten his grapefruit with salt sprinkled on it, yuck!
Dawn
Thanks for the idea, Joy! I sat down at the computer to put off figuring out dinner, and there was your lovely picture of grilled grapefruit! You inspired our dinner of grapefruit (with cinnamon instead of ginger), steel cut oats with dried apricots and walnuts, and sausage. Everyone was so happy! I love having breakfast for supper.
peachkins
The broiled grapefruit is a great idea!
Brownieville Girl
This used to be a really trendy starter in the 70’s!! I remember my Mom serving them.
Lauren
This sounds fantastic – I especially love the addition of ginger. I will definitely have to make these soon!
jaclyn@todayslady
I’ve never ever segmented a grapefruit before! I always eat them like oranges! This sounds delish though, you had me when you said it was like a grapefruit creme brulee!
Amanda
I am engaged to someone who claims to be “not big on sweet treats.” I find this freakish and unnatural, and I’m more willing to believe that he is actually just lying about it.
I do know, though, that he loves him some grapefruit. And I have a feeling that if I were to make this one day, he’d be instantly obsessed. I try to trick him into eating “sweets” a lot, actually, but I really think this one is going to be turn him to the sweetside permanently. I can’t wait!
Marcela
I love the last picture, with the little seeds just so.
(I had no idea there were special knives for grapefruits.)
Ethan
Wow, thanks, what a flashback! My dad used to break out his special grapefruit knife and treat us on the weekend to an easy to eat grapefruit sprinkled with sugar and watch it disappear into the grapefruit. Don’t judge, but me and my sister were young (very young) and we’d wear them as hats afterwards:)
Danielle Smith
My Florida mother in law introduced me to broiled grapefruit- my husband ate them a lot as a kid. When we go down to visit she just picks them off a tree for us to eat for breakfast. Coming from the north I had never heard of this before but I live the combo and am thankful she introduced it to me. When I an out I’d brown sugar I sometimes use maple syrup- just as delish!!!
Sam (My Sugar Obsession)
so excited to try this! i have a ton of grapefruit at home. this is most definitely my breakfast for tomorrow.
Nicole Chalecki
I am totally trying this after dinner tonight :) It sounds incredible!
Michelle {Brown Eyed Baker}
Confession: I have never had a grapefruit! (gasp) I may have to try this. My boyfriend has one every morning with his eggs, so I will definitely pass this along to him!
Nicole, RD
That flavor combo sounds unique and fabulous!!!
Alicen
I don’t usually like grapefruit at all, but maybe with some brown sugar and ginger.. it would be worth a try :)
Elizabeth
I love grapefruit but have never broiled it before… I can’t wait to try this! My mom used to segment my grapefruit when I was little, it is definitely an act of love!
Amanda
I just heard a girl at a “farmer’s market” in Somerville this weekend talking about this! I can’t wait to try it! I’m not really a fan of grapefruit but she said this was to die for, and your pictures don’t lie :)
Aine
Yowsah! This I have to try. I didn’t think grapefruit could get any better but now I know better:)
Ginger & Pickle
Oh mY Word – that is brilliant! My daughter’s most favourite fruit is grapefruit! I wish we had a grapefruit orchard – she eats tonnes of the stuff!! She told me when she gets older she wants to have a tattoo of a flamingo wearing highland dancing shoes eating a grapefruit! She’s nine! We’ll see if she ever gets that tattoo – in the meantime, I’ll be broiling her a grapefruit!
Stacey
I usually don’t buy grapefruits because they are so time consuming to cut, but for you I’ll try.
I’m noticeing that you inspire me to do a lot I would not normally do. :) I like that!
joythebaker
that makes me happy stacey! seriously rad.
ashley maureen
well i never! grapefruit has been one of my breakfast indulgences lately, and to think that you can broil it with a little brown sugar and ginger and have an even more delectable treat! oh my.
Julie
I would never have thought of this, but it looks so incredible. I will have to pick up some grapefruit tonight!
The MuffinTin Post
My mom used to section grapefruit for me in the mornings when I was a kid. It’s still one of my favorite things to eat, even though I have to cut it myself these days.
Pam
I’ve never thought of broiling a grapefruit, but will definitely give it a try.
By the way, I couldn’t eat a grapefruit without a double-sided grapefruit knife. It cuts around the curve of the fruit AND cuts between the membranes like a dream! http://www.amazon.com/Pampered-Chef-Grapefruit-Knife-1265/dp/B00156C074
joythebaker
totally essential!
Taryn
yum! am I allowed to eat this for breakfast?! it seems a bit sinful, but probably worth it :)
heidifay
Its still got to be better than Cap’n Crunch for breakfast! :)
Allison
Mmmm…broiled grapefruit with brown sugar is one of my favorite treats on a cold winter morning. I will have to try it with the ginger next time!
Jessica @ How Sweet
I have only ever broiled grapefruit by itself, but adding ginger sounds incredible!
Annabeth
You are SO right! It is very time-consuming, and definitely a work of love!!! This recipe looks lovely–thanks!