A twist on a diner classic
A half-grapefruit, served in its rind, cut side up, with a knife run around each segment, has an outsized place in my heart.
My beloved grandfather often started his dinner with one, both at home and at our local diner, where it would arrive topped with a fluorescent-red maraschino cherry.
It was also one of my daughter's favourite snacks throughout her childhood. She ate hers sprinkled generously with sugar, and she loved it so much she even had her own grapefruit spoon. I recently found myself with a few exceptionally large navel oranges and got to thinking, “Why not give oranges the same splendid halved-grapefruit treatment?” This recipe answers that question with an emphatic “Please do!” You start by cutting an orange just as you would its larger, tarter cousin — in half crosswise, and then around each of the segments to make them easy to spoon out and eat. Running with the diner idea, you could serve them just like this, simply topped with a cherry, as a meal starter or as part of a brunch spread.
But a few sweet flourishes shuttle the orange halves into luscious dessert territory. Here, each half is spread with a mix of honey and ground cardamom, then broiled until bubbling and browned. (While cardamom is ideal because it amplifies the floral essence of the honey, cinnamon would work well as an alternative.)
Each of those warm, caramelized orange halves is then plated with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, an additional sprinkle of cardamom and a sprig of mint for an absolutely delightful dessert. Fragrant from the spice, the sweet oranges are made juicier under the broiler, and their warmth and caramelized tops are contrasted by the cooling mounds of ice cream.
It's a quick, healthful dessert that's inspired by nostalgia but is all about present-day pleasure. For The Washington Post