My doorbell rang followed by an insistent knock on the back door. I pulled myself away from the office, where I’d been staring at the bleak white yard outside my window, and found the postman standing there with a huge box of grapefruit from Florida.
Just seeing that big, white box, with bright orange citrus fruit painted on the side, made me feel a little closer to the oft-missed sunshine that I used to take for granted. And the fruit inside said box? It was divine. Large, golden orbs tinted in patches with a rosy hued glow and packed in neat rows, just waiting for me to devour it. I plucked one out, cut into the pale pink flesh and savored the fresh, citrus scent that immediately hit my nose.
It was wonderful. Perfectly ripe and bursting with acidic flavor. I ate this particular grapefruit cold, but I sometimes like to cut them half and broil for a few moments to bring out more of the sweet flavor. For a special brunch, I’ll drizzle a little Southern Comfort (You can use other brands, but I think this one tastes the best.) or dark rum on each half first, sprinkle with a tiny bit of brown sugar, place a bright red maraschino cherry in the center of each half, then broil until it’s warmed through.
Delicious.
If you live in a temporarily sun-forsaken part of the country and like citrus, I highly recommend ordering some for yourself. Sure, you can get oranges and grapefruit at local stores, but there’s just something better about a piece of fruit that only a few days ago was still ripening on the tree and that has been shipped to you straight from the grove. I order mine from Indian River in Florida, but I’m sure there are others.
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