Grapefruit

This time of year we have an abundance of grapefruit picked from our large tree in our backyard.  We have fewer this year, though, due to the big windstorm in January.  We have so much fruit every year that we ship several boxes to family in Idaho.

The last four years we've made a grapefruit cake from a recipe we got out of the LA Times a few years ago.  It's adapted from the Brown Derby Restaurant, a popular hollywood hangout.  We always bake our grapefruit cake Oscar weekend in tribute to Hollywood.

Grapefruit Cake. Recipe adapted from the Brown Derby Restaurant.

One adaptation that we've made is replacing fresh pieces of grapefruit (located on the top of the cake) with candied grapefruit rind.  It's a real treat that we also only make this time of year. Recipe is from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts.

Enjoy your grapefruit trees.  If you're just getting around to looking for your own piece of land in Palm Springs, be sure and plant a grapefruit tree once you have it.  They love the desert heat....and there's not much better than going outside your door and picking a fresh grapefruit off the tree!