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Community Corner

Respect the Grapefruit

Make grapefruit the centerpiece of your next special occasion.

We are in  the season that makes every Chamber of Commerce in Florida proud.

The long hurricane season had ended, the high heat and humidity has abated, and the mosquitoes are vacationing away. For the most part, the weather is simply gorgeous. Additionally, it's citrus season. All that wonderful Florida citrus is either ready to harvest or will be soon. Life is good.  

Florida's climate is well suited to growing many different varieties of citrus. In addition to commercially grown groves, the trees are easily maintained by amateur growers and are found in numerous backyards.  

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We have several varieties of citrus in our backyard, including grapefruit. Most years, the grapefruit that we didn't give away would be composted. I didn't respect the grapefruit. Then, I started paying attention to the comments of recipients of our grapefruit. They consistently talked about how sweet the grapefruit was. So, I gave it a try.

I found the taste of the plain grapefruit to be sweeter than most but still was a tad bitter for my taste. I drizzled on a bit of honey and thought that made the grapefruit taste respectable. Then, I added rum and honey and baked the grapefruit playing off the recipe of a Hot Toddy — lemon juice, rum and honey heated. Lands sakes alive! We have a winner. If you think drinking a hot toddy is good, you should try eating one. You'll never think of grapefruit the same way again.

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I've served Hot Toddy Grapefruit to people who didn't care for grapefruit much. They loved it.  

It's perfect for breakfast, brunch or a midafternoon snack and is right at home at a casual affair or a special occasion. Hot Toddy Grapefruit deserves respect.  It takes an ordinary grapefruit and turns it into something special.   

Hot Toddy Grapefruit

grapefruit halves

1 tablespoon rum for each half

1 tablespoon honey or raw sugar for each half (For raw sugar, I prefer Florida Crystals Demarara Sugar)

fresh grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon  

  1. Remove the seeds and core of each grapefruit half. Loosen the sections but don't remove them.  
  2. Carefully pour one tablespoon of rum over each half. Drizzle honey or sprinkle sugar on each. Top with a sprinkle of fresh grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.  
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.  

Y'all come see us.

You can follow Jackie Garvin on her blog, Syrup and Biscuits.  

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