Grapefruit

I love grapefruit. Friends claim I have a tendency toward hyperbole, and perhaps it’s true, but this really is my favorite taste in the whole world. Perhaps it is the memory of eating a grapefruit every morning for breakfast with a small serrated spoon, tilting my head back and drinking the juice from its soft shell until my arms were covered in sticky sweet juice. Perhaps it is the memory of spending those mornings with my father who always said, “I’ll get it started for you, and then you have to finish the rest,” as he sawed two perfect slices out of their skin. Perhaps it is that I collected those grapefruits from our own trees in our backyard in Florida, each a richer ruby on the inside because their outsides were mottled and dark, things of rough beauty, far from the supermarket trade. Perhaps it is because the bitter juice is laced with a fine sweetness that feels like balance.

Pink Grapefruit Dressing

My friend and honorary sous chef, Cristine, claims she cannot cook. I know this to be untrue because she’s made for me a delicious pastel de papa, and has–I am sure of it–other South American secrets up her sleeve. In time, she will teach me. For now, we make dressing.

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 ruby red grapefruit, juiced
• 2 teaspoons riesling (or white wine) vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley or other herbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl, add the olive oil, grapefruit juice, vinegar, basil, fresh herbs and salt and whisk until emulsified. Add the pepper to taste.