A vision not quite achieved

I was noodling around the internets and I found a recipe for a single serve microwave cake. I don't cook in the microwave so much as heat things up, but the idea of a single serving cake appealed to me.

 

Cooking as a single person is all about dealing with leftovers. Most recipes make enough for six, and while having extra chicken, or roasted vegetables around is not a problem, having dessert for eight is a temptation I don't need.

 

And suddenly, I had an idea, a vision, of a cake split in two, the middle filled with curd, the top covered with a beautifully rustic frosting. And I was going to flavor it with grapefruit, because I love grapefruit.

 

I spent Saturday afternoon making a grapefruit curd, which is just like lemon curd, but with grapefruit juice. I was slightly disappointed that it was a pale yellow, even though the grapefruit juice itself was pink. But food coloring fixed that.

 

I should have known better when I saw that the ingredients for the cake included spelt flour. Who has spelt flour on hand? I did it with all purpose flour and this is the result.

The most depressing vanilla scented pucks ever to come out of a kitchen.

 

But the vision had taken hold of me and I was not ready to let go. Besides, I already had the grapefruit curd.

 

I went to the supermarket and got a cake mix, and while it was baking, I put together a grapefruit frosting, flavored with zest from the grapefruit I had juiced for the curd. (I'm frugal like that.)

 

Sometimes, cooking is an exercise in figuring out what you did wrong, so that next time you can do it right.  These aren't bad, they are relatively tasty, but they are not the grapefruit cakes of my imagination. The curd is grainy. The cakes are lopsided and I wish they were browned on the edges. I would put zest in the cake next time, instead of the frosting. And obviously, I need to learn how to frost a cake.

Next time, these will be much, much, better.

The Joy of Grapefruit

It's cold. The holidays are over, the presents are broken, the food has been eaten, the wine drunk, and all the ornaments are boxed and in the attic. Everything seems dreary and gray and the warmth and sunshine of Spring seems impossibly far away. 

But don't lose heart, for even in the darkest depths of winter, there is hope. A bright spot, a breath of freshness to lift our spirits and keep us going. I am speaking, of course, of grapefruit season. 

I have heard that there are people out there who do not appreciate grapefruit. They think it is too sour, too bitter and hard to eat. Nonsense! Grapefruit lovers know that unalloyed sweetness is like a Care Bears marathon: cloying and dull. The natural sweetness of grapefruit comes with a bracing shot of acid that is tempered with a slight bitterness, creating a mellow and complex flavor appreciated by anyone whose taste buds have matured beyond the fluffernutter.

I will admit that they are not the easiest fruit to eat. But in a world that happily munches on coconuts, durians and jackfruit (which require machetes and hammers to get into) the slight amount of prep grapefruit require is laughably easy.

In fact, all you really need is the right kind of spoon, a grapefruit spoon. In days of yore, when broiled grapefruit was the ne plus ultra of elegant appetizers, grapefruit spoons were commonplace. But fashions have changed and sadly proper grapefruit spoons have become hard to find. If you're lucky, your grandmother may have a set you can borrow. If you aren't fortunate enough to have relatives you can pilfer silverware from, I have found sets on Etsy and ebay. 

Real grapefruit spoons, not the tapering shape, the better to slide into the sections of fruit.

It is ridiculous how happy these make me. There is just something about having a tool that is really fit for  purpose. These are perfect for the job. The fruit comes out, with minimal fuss, and no squirting. If you aren't into investing in seasonal flatware, I recommend the instructions here.

Happy eating!