Sweet, Crispy and Juicy Broiled Grapefruit

This recipe is from Good and Cheap.

Good and Cheap is a gorgeous cookbook for people with limited income, particularly on a $4/day food stamps budget. The PDF is free (ahora en Español!) and has been downloaded more than 15,000,000 times. I have more cookbooks, too!
It’s glorious grapefruit season right now! I have been eating them until my tongue hurts and inevitably juice runs down my chin. We’ve added the zest to drinks, had ’em in salads, but I still like them best as a breakfast or snack just as they are.
If you’re looking for a really simple way to take a standard grapefruit breakfast and turn it into a spectacular, hot sticky brunch treat, try this broiling method. You can use any kind of sugar or syrup and add some herbs if you’re feeling fancy. I had something similar at a restaurant with thyme leaves sprinkled on top and it was lovely.
- 2 grapefruits
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- salt to taste
- Turn on the broiler in your oven.
- Split a grapefruit in half and place it on a baking tray or in an oven-proof pan. Sprinkle the pink halves evenly with sugar and top with just a tiny bit of salt to bring out the flavor.
- Place the grapefruit halves under the broiler until they turn bubbly and a little brown (or even black) around the edges. This usually takes about 3 minutes, but monitor it because every broiler is different. Don’t get distracted! Overbroiling ruins a good meal fast.
- If you have maple syrup on hand, use it instead of sugar for even more flavor.
- This breakfast will make a grapefruit lover out of you!