It’s 10 Ways Tuesday and I’ve got creative ideas for cooking with grapefruit:

1.  Cocktail

Let’s start this list off with a cocktail, shall we? Grapefruit juice was made for cocktails- it’s not just sweet, but a fantastic combination of bitter, tart, and floral. According to Saveur, the Paloma is one of the most popular cocktails in Mexico. It’s a mixture of tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and soda with a pinch of salt. I love bubbles so a sparkling wine, grapefruit juice, St. Germain (elderflower liqueur) cocktail would be my preference. In Canal House Cooking Volume 6 you’ll find several variations on the grapefruit cocktail, my favorite being the Italian Greyhound, a mixture of gin, grapefruit juice, and Campari.

2.  Broiled Grapefruit

Everyone’s doing it, so I had to put caramelized grapefruit on the list. As you can see over at Bon Appétit, Grapefruit Brûlée is as simple as slicing a grapefruit in half, sprinkling the cut sides liberally with brown sugar, and popping it under the broiler for a few minutes. Use the sweeter, ruby red grapefruit variety for best results. This is an old school brunch item treat, originally served with a maraschino cherry. For something unique, try Yotam Ottolenghi’s version with star anise.

3.  Grapefruit Cake

Last year it was lemon soaked cakes, this year it’s grapefruit cake. I came across a recipe for Grapefruit Cake in Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home, that’s beautifully simple yet unique with the twist of pink citrus. Unlike many of Keller’s recipe, this one has a pretty short ingredient list, and it’s just a straightforward cake: mix batter, bake. Grapefruit zest perfumes the basic cake batter with its floral, citrus aroma. Still hot from the oven, the finished cake is pierced all over with a skewer and soaked in grapefruit syrup (grapefruit juice and sugar mixture). Keller guilds the lilly with grapefruit icing. I’m looking forward to trying this cake for tea time on a snowy day.

4.  Grapefruit Salad

My favorite way to cook with grapefruit during winter is a refreshing salad. By January I’m craving fresh produce, and turn to winter greens with segments of citrus to satisfy me. The most common grapefruit salad is a combination of grapefruit supremes (segments) and sliced avocado. I like a winter salad full of leafy greens and slightly bitter, crisp chicory. Salty feta or oil cured olives are a nice touch. The heat of ginger is a natural pairing to sweet ruby red grapefruit, and I use it in a citrus salad dressing. Another delicious way to serve grapefruit salad is a combination of thinly shaved fennel, grapefruit segments, and mint leaves tossed in citrus juice. I’m also inspired by this grapefruit salad with quinoa, avocado, and radish over at La Tartine Gourmande.

5.  Grapefruit with Seafood

The tart, bitter-sweet flavor of grapefruit pairs well with seafood like sweet crabmeat, rich lobster, and succulent shrimp. At the Black Cat restaurant in Boulder, Chef Eric Skokan used to serve a rich lobster risotto topped with refreshingly cold slices of grapefruit. The juxtaposition of hot and cold was so refreshing. Chef David Pasternack shares a recipe for Peekytoe Crab Salad with Pink Grapefruit in his book, The Young Man and the Sea. He tosses crabmeat, grapefruit segments, and arugula in a sherry vinaigrette in a light and fresh recipe perfect for lunch.

6.  Marmalade

The jam master, Rachel Saunders, writes about grapefruit used as part of classic English marmalade in her Blue Chair Jam Cookbook. Marmalade is a preserve made by stewing citrus peel and juices into a jelly. She shares recipes for English Three-Fruit Marmalade, Lemon & Pink Grapefruit Marmalade, and Yellow Grapefruit Marmalade. I like how Rachel Saunders adds a hint of gin to her English marmalade.

7.  Frozen Granita

Grapefruit juice makes for a fantastic frozen dessert. I like grapefruit granita because you can make it without any special equipment (no ice cream maker). For Martha Stewart’s Grapefruit Granita just freeze sweetened grapefruit juice in a shallow container, scraping it occasionally with a fork to break up the ice crystals, until it’s frozen into a slushy granita. Martha flavors her granita with Campari and serves it with poached grapefruit slices.

8.  Candied Grapefruit Peel

In Chez Panisse Fruit, Alice Waters writes that although making candied grapefruit peel is labor-intensive, the taste is “positively delicious.” It’s one of those simple but spectacular tricks in the kitchen, where all you need is grapefruit, sugar, and water. The peel is blanched 4 times in boiling water, and all bitter pith cut away. It’s then cooked in sugar syrup, drained and left to dry overnight. Candied grapefruit will keep in an airtight container (refrigerated) for 6 months, but I can assure you it won’t last that long.

9.  Detoxifying Juice

I’m not detoxing, but I couldn’t resist the Grapefruit, Carrot, and Ginger Juice in Whole Living magazine’s Clean Eating Action Plan (February issue). It looks like sunshine in a glass, a zippy, invigorating start to the day. When I’m feeling sluggish and slow during dark winter days, this will be my go-to pick-me-up.

10.  Grapefruit Soup

I’ve often marveled over Béa’s fruit soups on her blog, La Tartine Gourmand. She makes fruit soup occasionally with things like cherries Her method is to infuse a sugar syrup with flavors like vanilla, lime, ginger, then poach the delicate, ripe fruit in the syrup for a few minutes. She serves the poached fruit and syrup in a bowl as is, or with yogurt or ice cream. I guess it’s her use of the word soup that confuses/intrigues me. Why not poached fruit? The word soup makes the dish seem like something that should be slurped from a bowl held by both hands, something nourishing and delicious. I like that. I’m dreaming of a grapefruit soup flavored with crushed fennel seed, or ginger, coconut water, lime, even star anise. Pieces of grapefruit poached in a vanilla-sugar syrup seems like a lovely idea to me.

What is your favorite way to cook with grapefruit? Let me know in the comments section. Click Here.