Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger & Coconut

The grapefruit, a beautiful tangy fruit that is rich in color, a bit tart and sweet all in one. If you're a lover of grapefruits this will be a perfect way to keep your options for serving them varied and fresh. This recipe is quick and simple making it easy to pull together in no time. You can serve your broiled grapefruit for a light breakfast or any time of day snack or dessert. 

There are many reasons to add grapefruits to your diet. They are high in vitamin C which helps support the immune system. Grapefruits are full of antioxidants which help fight free radicals throughout the body keeping it clean and free from disease. The pink and red varieties contain lycopene, which is a type of antioxidant that has anti-tumor effects. They also contain naringenin, a flavonoid concentrated in grapefruits that help repair DNA. The limonoids in grapefruits help the body with detoxification by encouraging the formation of enzymes that help make toxins become more water-soluble, allowing them to be easily flushed from the body. Grapefruit juice is helpful for the prevention of kidney stones. You can find out more about the wonders of grapefruits from this article from Whole Foods: Grapefruits. Lots of great reasons to add this colorful citrus to your basket.

My favorite way of having this is topping it with unsweetened shredded coconut. The toasted coconut is a perfect complement. If you love coconut, this is must try. Just be sure to add the coconut after the first couple minutes or it will toast up too much. I've also used ground ginger instead of freshly grated and it was wonderful! This grapefruit shown above with the shredded coconut is a Texas Red, it has a wonderful sweetness to it...simply delicious!

This is truly an easy recipe...just slice your grapefruits in half, top with ginger and sugar...

Broil for a few minutes and enjoy! As you can see my coloring is varied between grapefruit halves. You may have early burning and you may not. I've had various outcomes with the times so just know that your time and outcome may vary. Just be sure to keep an eye on them so they don't scorch too much. I've also had a batch that didn't get any charring on the rind at all. All outcomes were delicious...the grapefruit is warm and the sugar & ginger all come together with the juices of the grapefruit to make for a really nice treat. Well worth the minimal effort. 

Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger & Coconut

Ingredients (one serving)

• 1 grapefruit per person (I used ruby red)
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, divided 
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated ginger or a generous sprinkle of dried ginger, divided

optional toppers

• shredded unsweetened coconut (add after the first two or three minutes)
• dash of cinnamon

Preheat broiler. You can alternately use a toaster oven for this using a high temp.

Slice grapefruits in half. You may have to slice a tad bit off the bottom if your grapefruits don't stand straight. Place each half, cut side up, on your rimmed cookie sheet or baking dish. Top each half with 1 1/2 teaspoon or so sugar and 1/4 teaspoon or so ginger. Use your fingers to blend and spread the ginger on the grapefruit halves.

Place in broiler and cook anywhere from 4 - 7 minutes. I find it best to set your timer for 2 minutes, check grapefruit, if sugar is not caramelized or there is no excessive charring of the grapefruit rind (white part), add another minute and repeat the process until sugar is caramelized and rind is gently colored but not overly burnt all around. If using shredded coconut, sprinkle on top of the grapefruit halves after the first two minutes.

Once done, serve immediately or let cool and serve at room temp.

As with all recipes, adjust seasonings to your tastes.

Segmenting: Segmenting can be done before broiling or after. Once you have sliced your grapefruit in half, use a grapefruit knife or a serrated paring knife and cut each segment so the pink flesh is cut away from the membrane. Next, gently par around the whole outside area of flesh cutting away from the rind. It will make your grapefruit eating a little easier and less messy.

Enjoy the simples!