Grapefruit is that citrus fruit that splits people down the middle: There are as many lovers as there are haters, and we are firmly in the lovers’ camp. We love grapefruit’s lower sugar, its bracing acidity—we even love its subtle bitterness. While grapefruit is best in the dead of winter, we like to make this sorbet year-round, especially in the summer when it’s most refreshing. Because we hate to waste ingredients, we like to candy the grapefruit peel for the grapefruit version of orangettes. It makes an excellent sorbet topping, and everyone loves getting candied citrus peels as a gift.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
FOR THE SORBET
8 medium grapefruits, preferably organic
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
FOR THE CANDIED GRAPEFRUIT PEELS
2 cups (400 grams) sugar, plus more for tossing
1. To make the sorbet, halve and juice the grapefruits into a quart-size container, reserving 8 of the empty halves (see Ben’s Note). You should have about 4 cups grapefruit juice. In a saucepan, combine the sugar with about ½ cup of the grapefruit juice and stir over medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the syrup to the container with the remaining grapefruit juice. Cover and refrigerate the sorbet base until fully chilled.
2. To make the candied grapefruit peels, using your fingers, remove the fleshy remains of the grapefruits from the peels; cut the peels into ⅜-inch-wide strips, leaving about ⅛ inch of the white pith attached. Place the peels in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, then drain. Repeat twice.
3. After the third draining, return the peels to the saucepan and add the sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peels are translucent, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain and transfer the peels to a wire rack to dry, 2 to 4 hours. Transfer the peels to a bowl and toss with more sugar until coated. Return the peels to the wire rack and let dry for at least 10 hours before eating.
4. Pour the chilled sorbet base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the sorbet base in the freezer, so you can use it to store the finished sorbet. Churn the sorbet until the texture resembles Italian ice. Transfer the sorbet to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. Top the sorbet with the candied grapefruit peels. The sorbet will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days. The grapefruit peels will keep in an airtight container for up to a few months.
ben’s note You are more than welcome to candy all of the grape-fruit peels; just be sure to adjust the proportions accordingly. Everyone loves these and you can package them up in cellophane bags and give them out as gifts. And, because a little chocolate has never hurt anyone, you can also dip the candied peels into melted dark chocolate and allow it to harden before packaging.