Now’s the time to enjoy ‘greatfruit’ T
HIS week, as the weather seems to be taking a turn for the better – I’m currently gazing out across a sunlit Colne Valley, a stunning and vivid emerald green beneath a cloudless blue sky – I fancied making something a bit lighter for my dessert choice this week.
It feels like it may be the end of the hot puddings and custard until the back end of the year, which is sweet relief for the waistband.
But it’s also what the appetite craves as the temperatures get higher, as is right and proper.
Leafing through my notes, I noticed that, at this time of year, citrus fruits are in great shape, with grapefruit being at their very best.
Given there’s little homegrown stuff about presently, I thought I’d make something with grapefruit, especially as it’s one of my very favourite fruits. I love tart, bitter flavours more than any other, and for me, there’s nothing like the acidic sweetness of a fresh grapefruit to tingle the tastebuds.
The sharp, vaguely musky perfume goes well with all manner of things, from cereal-y stuff such as cakes, pies and pastries, but it lends a lovely sharp kick to many savoury dishes too. The juicy segments are lovely folded into salads with creamy, salty cheeses like feta and goat.
They’re also wonderful with grilled and baked white fish such as sea bass, sea bream and halibut. And one of my favourite things is a grilled breakfast grapefruit, which is where the origins of this dish lie. A sprinkle of sugar over the cut surface of a halved grapefruit, when placed under a hot grill for a few seconds, makes a lovely brûléed topping that cracks satisfyingly beneath a teaspoon.
The combination of that crunchy sugar and fresh, cold, tart fruit is magical, and I wanted to try to recreate this in a plated dessert. So, I decided to pair the crunchy, sugary segments with something a little more substantial, which is where the meringue comes into play.
I think a creamy element is always welcome, so a quenelle or two of cool, creamy mascarpone, with that delightful, almost chewy texture, is just the ticket here.
A few blobs of grapefruit marmalade, some shards of brandy snap biscuit for a caramelised note, and then a couple of flavour complements in the form of toasted almonds and some fresh mint and tarragon, a herb you may not associate with grapefruit, but which is a delightful partner.
It all coalesces into a vaguely Eton Mess-y pudding, each mouthful a tangy, crunchy, creamy explosion which will round off a good meal in a most satisfactory way.
I’ll admit, this is one of my more ‘cheffy’ puddings, as you can see, but none of the elements are too difficult, and much of the dessert can be made up days in advance, so you can plate up something similarly good-looking with a minimum of fuss. Plus, you can skip the marmalade-making and buy a nice jar of ready-made grapefruit marmalade, and perhaps even the brandy snaps. Even the meringues if need be.
But it’s worth the fuss, definitely, and you have a nice pot of marmalade for your Sunday morning rounds of toast.