Grilled Grapefruit vs. Broiled Grapefruit

As a child, Baci would give us grapefruit loaded with exponential amounts of sugar; however, an adult, I appreciate a cold, tangy grapefruit all by itself.  But lately I've been reading blogs and recipes for warm, cooked grapefruit.  Many of the grilled grapefruit recipes I've seen are really for broiled grapefruit.  Maybe they just like the alliteration.

All week I have been experimenting with grapefruit.  I decided to prepare my grapefruit three ways: broiled, grilled on the George Foreman, and grilled on the gas grill to see if "grilled" vs. "broiled" really made a difference.

Trial #1: From the UK recipe I cut the grapefruit in half, separated the segments, and added cinnamon and brown sugar.  Then I placed the fruit on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and broiled it in the oven on low for about 15 minutes.  The cinnamon aroma was divine.  It was a warm and satisfying breakfast - a perfect start to cold, winter mornings - or the June gloom days.

Trial # 2: This time I broiled another grapefruit in the oven with cinnamon and a half teaspoon of vanilla extract per half.  Absolutely delicious!  The combination of the cinnamon and vanilla reminded me of my Mom's baking, yet without all the calories.

Trial # 3: The Healthy Cooking Camp called for a non-stick pan to grill the grapefruit face-down.  I don't own a non-stick pan so I  used the George Foreman.  I added cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla to one side (above left) and cinnamon and vanilla to the other side (above right).

What a disappointment!  For starters, if I am grilling, I want to see grill marks, but no such luck.  The picture on Healthy Cooking Camp does not show grill marks either.  Second, the grapefruit was mushy because I pressed down on the top of the grill, hoping for those char-marks.  And do you see the mess I created? The yummy brown sugar and vanilla caramelization oozed all over the Foreman, and never made it to my belly.
  

Trial # 4: Finally I wrapped the last grapefruit in tin foil and threw it on the gas grill with vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar.....at least that was the plan, until I ran out of gas preheating the grill.  Therefore, I grilled the grapefruit in the oven at 450°F for about 20 minutes (that was also a suggestion from this blogger).

This was another delicious option!  The brown sugar lightly caramelized (perhaps I could have left it in longer) and the fruit liquid was contained in the foil, which I was able to pour back to enjoy.  Delish!

Conclusion: I guess I have to get over the fact that grilled grapefruit will not have grill marks on them, like grilled peaches or pineapples.  This citrus fruit would lose all its liquidy goodness if placed face down on the grill.   

Personally, broiling the grapefruit seemed to be the easiest, quickest, and cleanest way (thanks to the foil underneath) to eat a warm grapefruit.  However, if you have time, or are willing to use your oven or grill for a single, solitary grapefruit, I would definitely wrap your grapefruit in tin foil.  Grilled grapefruit = gratifyingly, good grapefruit. But who am I to judge, try it for yourself!