Last week I was invited to a free cooking class at Central Market, put on by Texas Sweet, an organization dedicated to promoting Texas citrus. As usually, I went in thinking I knew pretty much everything there was to know about grapefruits, only to be proved very wrong. I didn’t realize this, but red grapefruits are only grown here in Texas, and are arguably the sweetest, most delicious of all grapefruits.
Well howdy-do.
They really are sweet and delicious. I knew that much, but perhaps I didn’t quite appreciate their versatility well enough. After teaching us all how to supreme grapefruits, which means cutting them into pretty little segments, free of peels or membranes, our teacher, Vance, showed us how to flash freeze the segments on a baking sheet. The little frozen pieces are perfect for snacking, making smoothies, sauces, and quick ice creams.
Want to learn how to supreme too? My buddy, Hilah, will show you how in this video!
Here’s a shot of the lovely Stetted slicing into her grapefruit. The entire class got to try out this little move, and the segments were collected for use in the recipes Vance demo’d for us. These recipes were GOOD. Vance made us two salads, the first was a sort of quinoa and citrus pilaf. The second was a spinach and broccoli salad tossed with toasted sesame and ramen noodles. That stinkin’ salad was so good that I’ve made two different versions of it since last week. Yum.
Vance even made us dessert! He broiled up grapefruit, orange and pineapple topped with butter and brown sugar until it was hot and bubbly. To top it off, he made a quick frozen yogurt using the frozen supremes, vanilla yogurt, and a pinch of sweetener. If I made that recipe again, I would definitely swap out the artificial sweetener for some honey or maple syrup. It was tasty, but artificial sweetener gives me the heebie-jeebies.
The folks at Texas Sweet have graciously shared their recipes with me, and now I’m going to pass my favorites from the class on to you. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did.
Rio-Ramen Salad
Serves sixI’m just going to come right out and admit that I am madly in love with this salad. You can expect to see a modified version of this recipe soon on Mary Makes Dinner, as I have been reinventing it in one way or another ever since the class. If you don’t have ramen handy, or if you are gluten-free, just swap that ingredient out with anything crispy. Wasabi peas, rice crackers, or veggie chips would be great.
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh spinach, torn
- 4 cups broccoli slaw
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced (tops included)
- 3/4 cup red wine vinaigrette salad dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Texas Rio Star Grapefruit, 1 juiced, and 2 sectioned (supremed)
- 1 (2 1/2 oz.) package of ramen noodles, lightly toasted and broken
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Directions
- In a large bowl, toss together spinach, slaw, and scallions. Chill as you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a small jar, shake together salad dressing, pepper, and 1/4 cup grapefruit juice.
- Just before serving, add the grapefruit sections, noodles, and sesame seeds to the salad.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss together to evenly coat.
- Serve immediately.
Rio Star Grapefruit & Quinoa Salad
Serves fourThis salad would make a really great side for any type of light protein. Try pairing this with some citrus-marinated tofu or black beans. You could also combine this dish with the salad above to create a super-healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Texas Rio Star grapefruit, sectioned (supremed)
- 1 Texas orange, sectioned (supremed)
- 8 thin slices fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 small serrano or jalapeno pepper, minced
- 2 scallions, minced (tops included)
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Strip the peel from the grapefruit with a vegetable peeler, taking care not to include the bitter white pith. Warm the grapefruit peel, ginger, and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the oil starts to bubble, after two minutes, remove from heat. Set the oil aside to steep for thirty minutes. Strain and reserve the oil.
- Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Put the quinoa in a small saucepan with one and a half cups of water, and half teaspoon of salt. Boil over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Set aside off the heat, undisturbed, for five minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl, and fluff with a fork, and let cool.
- Segment the grapefruit over a bowl, reserving the segments and juice separately. Also segment the orange. Whisk three tablespoons of the juice with the vinegar, honey, and salt (to taste) in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in three tablespoons of the reserved grapefruit oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a stream to make a slightly thick dressing. Season with pepper to taste.
- Toss quinoa with the dressing, minced pepper, scallions, carrots, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the grapefruit and orange segments into the salad. Divide among four plates. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Warm Texas Citrus with Brown Sugar
Serves fourI really enjoyed this dessert, and if you turn a blind eye to the sugar and butter, it is still reasonably healthy. I suspect that you could get away with cutting the sugar down quite a bit (or even omitting it), and perhaps replacing the butter with a healthier fat, like virgin coconut oil.
Ingredients
- 2 Rio Star grapefruit, sectioned (supremed)
- 2 Texas oranges, sectioned (supremed)
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine grapefruit, oranges, and pineapple. Transfer to a 1-quart, broiler-safe casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and butter. Sprinkle over fruit.
- Broil about four inches from heat for five to six minutes, or until the sugar is bubbly, and the fruit is warmed.
- Serve warm. Top with Grapefruit Ice Cream.
Rio Star Grapefruit Ice Cream
This quick frozen yogurt is a pretty far cry from real ice cream, but it makes a great topping for the broiled fruit dish. Expect this frozen yogurt to have an icy, chunky texture. I did modify this recipe just a bit, by replacing the artificial sweetener with a natural sweetener, added to taste.
Ingredients
- 4 Rio Star grapefruit, sectioned (supremed)
- 16 ounces lemon yogurt
- honey, maple, or agave syrup, to taste
Directions
- Place grapefruit sections on a sheet pan, lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Combine frozen grapefruit sections with yogurt in a food processor for 30 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. Taste, and add sweetener as needed.
- Freeze for several hours, or overnight.