Does anyone else feel like a noob when it comes to understanding what’s in season? I’m ashamed to admit it but when exactly is citrus season, or strawberry season, or tomato season. You get my point.
When I lived in Japan, they almost made it easy for you because every month or two, the markets and stores would shift focus on particular produces and then you would know. But, here in the states, I walk into Whole Foods, Safeway, Kroeger, Giant Eagle, and no matter what time of the year it is, I can almost be guaranteed to find strawberries, bananas, citrus, pineapples, apples, peaches, the list goes on.
Sure, the prices will fluctuate depending on season but for people who don’t go to the store on a regular basis, would they notice?
When I started experimenting with grapefruits, Chad (my husband), asked, “Oh, is it citrus season?”. At first, my reaction was, “We live in California. It’s always citrus season.” Then, it got me thinking, “Wait, is it?”
The short answer is yes, it is currently citrus season in California, roughly November to July, depending on which type of citrus. But this really started to frustrate me, the fact that I had no idea. As a self proclaimed foodie, how did I not know?
After some research, I did find some tools to help me understand local agriculture and when certain produce will be available. Here’s a site specific to California if you’re curious.
It’s definitely convenient to have access to whatever fruits I want at all times, but as my ama (grandma) and any good chef would know, when you eat locally grown foods that are in season, you’re getting the most out of your food and money. As an added bonus, it also helps the environment in reducing the carbon footprint it takes to have access to things like peaches in January.
Below, check out my chocolate covered grapefruit peels! Make these for someone special; wrap them in some parchment paper and twine and it’ll make for a simple yet fancy gift!
I created this recipe for an ingredient based Instagram collaboration. This quarter, it’s grapefruit! You can also see all kinds of other grapefruit recipes from participating bloggers below or check out #greatfruitgrapefruit on Instagram to see everyone’s creations!
Chocolate Covered Grapefruit Peels
- Peel of 1 Grapefruit*
- 450g (2¼ cup) Granulated Sugar
- 225g (1 cup)Water
- Chocolate of your choice
Prep the grapefruit by cutting it into quarters and trimming off the meat of the fruit and the pith off the peels. Set the prepped peels aside while you make the sugar syrup.
Make the sugar syrup by placing the sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan over medium to high heat. Bring the syrup to a boil; then turn down the heat to low and place the prepared grapefruit peels in the syrup. Let the peels simmer in the pot for about an hour or until the peels look slightly transparent.
Let the peels cool slightly. Then, take the peels out of the sugar syrup** and cut into strips.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place a wire rack on top of the parchment lined pan. Lay the strips of candied grapefruit peels on the wire rack to dry. This can take a day or 2. Once the peels lose their gloss and are dry to the touch, they’re ready to be dipped in chocolate!
Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Temper*** a bowl of chocolate and dip the candied grapefruit peels in the bowl one at a time. You can cover the entire peel or just part of the it. I left a bit of the peel uncovered because I liked the way it looked.
If you tempered your chocolate correctly, the chocolate grapefruit peels should be ready to go within minutes of being dipped.
*Since you’ll be eating the peel, I’d recommend buying organic grapefruit.
**You can save the sugar syrup to be used as a cake syrup or in cocktails. Put the syrup in a jar and store in the fridge. Storing in the fridge isn’t required but it will make the syrup last longer.
***There are so many chocolate temping posts out there. I’ve only recently learned how to temper chocolate myself so I’m not going to pretend to be an expert. Here’s a link to how to temper chocolate from The Kitchn. I was very intimidated by chocolate for a very long time but finally tried it a few months ago and it’s really not as scary as it seems.
Seasonal Recipe Collaboration Participants
- What Annie’s Eating – Roasted Side of Salmon with Fennel + Grapefruit Slaw
- Square Meal Round Table – Pink Grapefruit Cheesecake
- Katiebird Bakes – Grapefruit Yogurt Bundt Cake
- My Kitchen Love – Grapefruit Poppyseed Mini Bundt Cakes
- Baking The Goods – Grapefruit Coconut Bars
- Gobble The Cook – Incredibly Moist Grapefruit Cake
- Jessie Sheehan Bakes – Pink Grapefruit Bars
- Candied Pomelo – Chocolate Covered Grapefruit Peels
- The Capsule Kitchen – Grapefruit Margaritas
- The Healthy Sins – Grapefruit Curd Tartlets with Roasted Meringue
- Bappy Girl – Grapefruit Basil Marmalade
- This Healthy Table – Spicy Thai Grapefruit Salad
- Always Eat Dessert – Grapefruit Tart
- Whatcha Cooking Good Looking? – Grapefruit Creamsicle Bars
- Pie Girl Bakes – Grapefruit Donuts
- Clean Plate Clb – Grapefruit Curd Tart with Champagne Whipped Cream
- Olive & Mango – Pink Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
- Crumb Top Baking – Grapefruit Salad with Cilantro and Goat Cheese