Eat Seasonally in January: Grapefruit Recipes

While we frequently cook with lemons and limes, and we pack oranges and clementines in lunch boxes, grapefruit tends to get left out. We rarely do anything with grapefruit other than slice one in half and sprinkle it with sugar for breakfast. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn how versatile and tasty grapefruit can be.

Since grapefruit season starts in January and goes through May, you've got a few months to give these grapefruit recipes a try. However, we hope you'll think they sound so tempting, you'll want to get cooking right away.

How to Select Grapefruit

Like fresh peaches, the longer grapefruit stays on the tree, the sweeter it will be. Also, as with peaches, you'll want to look for grapefruit that don't have any patches of green.

Ripe grapefruit aren't perfectly round either. They may be slightly flat on both ends, and they should feel heavy, meaning they're full of juice. Avoid grapefruit with soft spots though, just as you would with oranges and clementines.

How to Peel Grapefruit

There's a good reason why most of us typically eat grapefruit with a serrated spoon: much of this fruit doesn't taste very sweet! Specifically, the white pith surrounding the fruit is bitter, and so is the membrane covering each segment.

In contrast, the pith of an orange isn't appetizing, but it isn't nearly as bitter as grapefruit pith. Also, we usually eat the membrane of each orange segment. We can't eat a grapefruit like an orange if we want to enjoy it.

Monica offers a helpful step-by-step tutorial for peeling and sectioning grapefruit on her blog, The Yummy Life. It just might change the way you eat grapefruit.

Grapefruit Recipes: Broiled Grapefruit With Sugar

Start simple with this recipe from Cookie and Kate. You won't even need to peel and section your grapefruit. Slice it, sprinkle it with sugar and spices, then pop it under the broiler for ten minutes. It may not count as a hot breakfast, but it definitely beats plain cold grapefruit.

Grapefruit Recipes: Chicken and Grapefruit Quinoa Salad

This filling salad recipe from Amee's Savory Dish might best be saved for spring when asparagus and avocados are in season too. But it looks so delicious we had to include it now. It keeps well for a few days and can be eaten cold or room temperature. Plus, it only uses one saucepan. What's not to love with this grapefruit salad recipe?

Grapefruit Recipes: Pan-Seared Chicken With Grapefruit Cream Sauce

We'll admit we were a bit skeptical when we first found this recipe from The Daring Gourmet. But as we read it, we began to warm up to the idea. By the time we got to the part about deglazing the pan to make the cream sauce, we were hooked. We agree with Kimberly -- slice those chicken breasts in half, and serve them with pasta tossed in this sauce.

Grapefruit Recipes: Pink Grapefruit Bars With Rosemary Crust

We've made many batches of lemon bars, but we think it's time to give grapefruit bars a shot. While this recipe from Will Bake for Books bills these bars as a summer dessert, we think they're perfect for lightening up the winter blahs.

You can add a drop or two of red food coloring to ensure the filling is perfectly pink, or leave it as is. But be sure to add the rosemary both to the filling and the crust -- it complements the grapefruit beautifully.