Recipe from Maurice Gonneau
Adapted by Amanda Hesser
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(198)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This recipe first came to The Times in 1941, published under the rather humdrum title “Grapefruit Dessert,” only to be revived in 2010, as part of Amanda Hesser’s Recipe Redux column. Adapted from Maurice Gonneau, the executive chef at the Park Lane and the Chatham in New York City, this recipe is whipped up with just a few items you may already have on hand: egg whites, sugar, grapefruits, and a bit of brandy. The end result is, Hesser wrote, “the love child of broiled grapefruit and baked Alaska,” a dish “as joyful as it is unexpected.” A photo accompanying the column bears an enticement, and a mild warning: “This dessert is best served to good friends with an appreciation for weird and delicious treats.” Find those friends, and you have a dish worth sharing. —Amanda Hesser
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 4
- 2pink grapefruits
- ¼ cup brandy or kirsch
- 2egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup sugar
- Vanilla ice cream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Halve the grapefruits. Using a small, sharp paring knife or one of those nifty grapefruit knives, remove the grapefruit segments and place them in a bowl. Gently remove the membrane from the grapefruits and discard it. You should be left with 4 hollowed-out grapefruit halves. Reserve them.
Step
2
Pour the brandy over the grapefruit segments and chill for 1 hour.
Step
3
When ready to serve, heat the broiler and arrange an oven rack about 6 inches from the heating element. In a mixer fitted with a whisk or by hand, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy, then gradually add the sugar, beating until the whites are firm and shiny.
Step
4
Spoon the grapefruit segments into the grapefruit halves. Put a layer of ice in a baking pan and arrange the grapefruit halves on top. (This helps steady them and also keeps the cool part cool.) Add a large scoop of ice cream to each, then flatten the ice cream to make room for the meringue. Dollop the meringue on top. Place under the broiler and toast until the meringue is hazelnut brown, about 1 minute. Transfer the grapefruits to shallow bowls and serve.
Ratings
4
out of 5
198
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Cooking Notes
Lorraine
Why not bake four meringues separately on parchment? This can be done well ahead (even a day or more before). When serving all you need to do it pop one on top of each grapefruit and voila! No need for messy ice in oven.
the_beezelet
I adore this! We've made it 3 times this fall to rave reviews. It's the perfect finish to a rich meal, and really scrumptious.
Lynn
I love it! It’s easy but looks so impressive. I’ve made it twice- once before & once after I went vegan. For a vegan version I used vegan vanilla ice cream from the store and for the meringue I used “aquafaba” - liquid from a can of chickpeas that serves as an egg white substitute (as I just learned- amazing) - and a vegan meringue recipe I found online which is basically the same as any other meringue. Worked just like the original version.
Matt
I think the meringue is meant to be soft and marshmallowy, like on a lemon meringue pie, not firm like baked meringue cookies or shells. It would be pretty difficult to make that and store it. But maybe a torch could substitute for the ice/broiler technique.
Richard
How about filling the shells with just the ice cream and freezing? Then pour over the marinated grapefruit sections, add the whip cream, and blow torch !
Erik
This recipe is brilliant. Don't worry about trying to do the meringue differently. This way works great. The point is for it to be hot and cold at the same time.
Nadia
I pre-assembled the grapefruit halves with ice cream then placed them in the freezer. This ensured the grapefruit/ice cream portion stayed more or less frozen during the flaming process. Just a super impressive dessert both taste wise and looks wise. Thank you!
Randi
love this, but I will admit that I simplify. put grapefruit in a nice casserole dish. top with meringue. stick under broiler for maybe 30 seconds. scoop ice cream into bowls and then top with the grapefruit meringue topping. it's really retro and really good!
Regan K Paris
To lower the calorie count, I skipped this ice cream and just topped the liquor-steeped flesh w meringue and browned it, and it word everybody!-) Definitely à keeper, w/ or w/o ice cream.
Botany Boy
For the brandy, I would try a good pomegranate molasses, which is my go to sub for lots of things. I am a big fan of Al Wadi, a brand I discovered while living in Iraq. It's way better than the brands you can ordinarily find.
Laura Eve
Any suggestions for a nonalcoholic substitute for the brandy?
Maggie
THis is actually my favorite winter dessert, for a time when peaches and berries are not available. I make a version based on the updated revision published in the original redux story: baked meringues with vanilla panna cotta, grapefruit sections and their juice, topped with caramel sauce. Loved those redux stories and I got so many good ideas from them.
PG
Tried filling shells with the grapefruit sections and ice cream and putting in the freezer until dessert time when I made the meringues and broiled. Tasted good except the grapefruit sections were too frozen to be easily eaten or tasted. This is a dessert to be made by staff at last minute or for family supper when it doesn’t matter the delay between dinner and dessert.
Richard
How about filling the shells with just the ice cream and freezing? Then pour over the marinated grapefruit sections, add the whip cream, and blow torch !
Richard
Opps... below, I meant to say Meringue, not Whip Cream !
Lynn
I love it! It’s easy but looks so impressive. I’ve made it twice- once before & once after I went vegan. For a vegan version I used vegan vanilla ice cream from the store and for the meringue I used “aquafaba” - liquid from a can of chickpeas that serves as an egg white substitute (as I just learned- amazing) - and a vegan meringue recipe I found online which is basically the same as any other meringue. Worked just like the original version.
Lynn
This was amazing!! Easy to make too. I was impatient and didn't chill the grapefruit pieces very long.
Lorraine
Why not bake four meringues separately on parchment? This can be done well ahead (even a day or more before). When serving all you need to do it pop one on top of each grapefruit and voila! No need for messy ice in oven.
Matt
I think the meringue is meant to be soft and marshmallowy, like on a lemon meringue pie, not firm like baked meringue cookies or shells. It would be pretty difficult to make that and store it. But maybe a torch could substitute for the ice/broiler technique.
the_beezelet
I adore this! We've made it 3 times this fall to rave reviews. It's the perfect finish to a rich meal, and really scrumptious.
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