Baked Alaska Grapefruit

A couple of weeks ago I was buying grapefruit at the grocery store. I only grabbed two because they were 2 for $6.00. I have lived in Fairbanks long enough that I'm not really sure how much produce costs in other parts of the country anymore. I know that when I first moved here I wouldn't have even considered spending that much money on grapefruit. Over time, in an effort to prevent scurvy and depression I have decided not to hold back on fruit, especially during the winter. The one thing I do make sure is that we eat it all. It makes me crazy to find a bad apple in the bottom of the fruit bowl. So, you can imagine my excitement as I rounded the corner to find an entire bag of grapefruit for $5.49. There were 7 grapefruit in that bag. Then, as soon as I got them home I started seeing grapefruit everywhere. They were on Instagram, Facebook, and all over Pinterest. Then Adam Roberts posted his ode to the pink grapefruit half on Amateur Gourmet and I became inspired to try grapefruit a different way each day that week. This was a weekday project for me, so I tried 5 different versions. I tried both the candied ginger with mint and the creme brulee version that Amateur Gourmet recommended. For the creme brulee version I tried the link to the NY Times. It kind of worked, and it tasted really good, but I had a lot of trouble getting the caramel to stick to the wet grapefruit. I read the recipe instructions that said to make sure the grapefruit was dry, but how dry can you get something that is filled with juice? I also tried your standard broiled grapefruit one day with white sugar, and the second day with brown sugar. Both were pretty good. Out of all these grapefruit, the one I ended up liking the most was this meringue topped version. I actually found a recipe that included ice cream as well, but I decided that might be a little over the top for breakfast. This recipe cooks the meringue quickly at a high temperature, causing the inside to still be a bit gooey and work its way in between the grapefruit sections. It's a bit like topping your grapefruit with toasted marshmallows (there's another idea). Note that it is really hard to make meringue with less than two egg whites, so if you are only making two of these like I did, you will have extra meringue. I also went a little over the top with the meringue because I got caught up in the excitement of it all and thought it looked so pretty. If you decide to make four grapefruit, there will still be plenty of meringue, so don't feel like you need to double the amount.
My favorite way to eat a grapefruit is still cut in half and served with a spoon. If I were going to make the effort to do anything else with my grapefruit, this would be it. In fact I'm sure I'll be making this again before the winter is done. You can also add some raspberries, or blueberries to fill out the grapefruit halves, I think I'll try that next time. What is your favorite way to eat grapefruit?

Baked Alaska Grapefruit

inspired by The Family Kitchen

2 grapefruit
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut grapefruit in half. Remove fruit sections; set aside. Reserve half of the grapefruit skins and scrape out all of the membranes. I found it easiest to just rip them out with my fingers, rather than scrape them out with a spoon.
Refill grapefruit skins with grapefruit segments. One whole grapefruit will produce enough segments to only fill one grapefruit half.
Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in sugar. Cover grapefruit with meringue.
Bake until just golden brown. This will only take a few minutes, so keep an eye on them to prevent burning. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.