Grapefruits Galore

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG GRAPEFRUITS
with Gotham Bar and Grill pastry chef Deborah Racicot

The sweet scent of TexasSweet grapefruits filled the air this past Saturday, January 6th when citrus and dessert enthusiasts gathered for PastryScoop.com’s Bright Lights, Big Grapefruits event. Held at The French Culinary Institute’s International Culinary Theatre, Gotham Bar and Grill’s (and my) pastry chef Deborah Racicot prepared and demonstrated an assortment of grapefruit-inspired desserts to highlight the sweet fruit.

From frosty grapefruit-cranberry popsicles to warm cheesecakes, Deborah shared recipes and samples of her stunning grapefruit-inspired desserts. Reflective of Deborah’s style and philosophy, each dessert complimented and highlighted the brilliant Rio Star citrus, brining forth its most endearing qualities.


Believe me when I say that it was no easy feat to prepare such a wide range of desserts using the glorious fruit, as it added a hefty load of work to our already packed schedules. Our pastry team (at Gotham) worked arduously and meticulously that week to produce each dessert and its many components. We creamed, we sliced, we rolled, we baked. And, all in all, it was an incredibly fun and informative event, worth all of the extra effort.

Featured desserts from Deborah included:
*Grapefruit-Cranberry Popsicles
*Grapefruit Sashimi, Milk Chocolate Tarragon Panna Cotta, Grapefruit Gelée
*Grapefruit Creamsicle (grapefruit sponge cake with white chocolate ice cream), Grapefruit Sorbet, Citrus Consommé
*Grapefruit-Beet Tart with Mascarpone Cheesecake filling, Poached Beets, Grapefruit Balsamic Granité
*Grapefruit Trés Leches with Grapefruit Mousse, Cinnamon Grapefruit Sorbet, Grapefruit Caramel Sauce
*Warm Grapefruit Maple Cheesecake, Candied Fennel, Grapefruit Marmalade, Grapefruit Sabayon
*Bon Bons – White Chocolate Grapefruit Chocolates & Grapefruit Mousse Bar

Grapefruit Creamsicle

Grapefruit Tres Leches

Warm Maple Cheesecake

Minus a few miniscule snafus – such as losing our minds from spinning an un-needed white chocolate ice cream in an almost decrepit machine or completely forgetting the maple cheesecakes at the restaurant – the event was a success, and the sold-out crowd of students, enthusiasts, press and industry professionals fell in love with Deborah and Rio Star grapefruits, devouring her gorgeous dessert samples (fabulously plated by my co-workers Danielle and Robyn). Deborah, dedicated to her love of teaching and fostering an atmosphere for learning, was in her element, as was proven by her extremely informative and perfectly executed demonstrations. And, I must confess that watching Deborah so enthralled by her guests and seeing the crowds’ reactions to each dessert were the most satisfying parts of my day.

In addition to the individual tastings, attendees also feasted on delicious nibbles and Salty Dog cocktails courtesy of The French Culinary Institute, Chef Lee-Ann Wong (past contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef and present Chef at the FCI), TexasSweet and Deborah. Thanks to Judiaann Woo and Lee-Ann Wong for all their help!

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While the desserts were reflective of our restaurant-style desserts (if not already on the menu), they can all be easily prepared at home. All event attendees received copies of Deborah’s grapefruit recipes, and I hope they do attempt to make the desserts. Here’s one that received the most rave reviews for all you that couldn’t join in the sweet fun (even Chef Lee-Ann proclaimed it was her favorite)…

Grapefruit-Beet Tart

(Recipe reprinted with permission from Deborah Racicot)

Paté Sable
1 pound plus 4 ounces chilled unsalted butter, cubed
250 grams sugar
1 kilogram all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
5 large egg yolks
140 grams heavy cream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar, flour and salt and mix on low speed until dough resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. Whisk together egg yolks and heavy cream. Add to the other ingredients all at once and mix to combine. Shape dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼-inch thickness and cut out rounds to fit 3-inch diameter tart molds. Line the molds with dough, trimming away excess tart dough, and chill for 1 hour.
5. Bake to golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from molds. Cool completely before filling.

Mascarpone Filling
1 pound plus 4 ounces mascarpone
8 ounces sour cream
6 ounces sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds only
10 large egg yolks
1 ounce heavy cream
3 tablespoons grapefruit zest

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine mascarpone, sour cream, sugar, salt and seeds from vanilla bean. Mix on low speed, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until smooth and well combined.
3. Add egg yolks and heavy cream and mix until smooth.
4. Pass mixture through a fine sieve.
5. Stir in grapefruit zest by hand.
6. Pour filling into prepared tart shells and bake until just set and without color, about 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Cool to room temperature before transferring to a refrigerator to set completely.

Poached Beets
2 medium red beets
1 kilogram sugar
1 liter water
Pinch of salt

1. Using an electric slicer, slice beets very thin, to about three times the thickness of a piece of paper. Using a 1-inch round cutter, trim slices into rounds.
2. In a saucepan, combine sugar, water and salt and bring to a boil.
3. Drop beet slices into the hot syrup and turn off heat. Allow beets to sit until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer beets to another container and cool in an ice bath. Reserve until needed.

Grapefruit Balsamic Granité
700 milliliters simply syrup (ratio of 1 part sugar to 1 part water)
500 milliliters grapefruit juice
75 grams aged balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt

1. Whisk together all ingredients. Transfer to a 9x9 inch pan and freeze overnight.
2. Use a fork to scrape into icy shards. Store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Honey Balsamic Reduction
200 grams honey
200 grams aged balsamic vinegar
25 grams freshly squeezed beet juice

1. In a saucepan, combine honey and balsamic vinegar. Cook over low heat until temperature reaches 249°F.
2. Cool completely before adding beet juice. Stir to combine. Reserve until needed.

To Serve
3 grapefruits, peeled and segmented
Poached Beets
Mascarpone Tarts
Honey Balsamic Reduction
Grapefruit Balsamic Granité

1. Arrange slices of poached beets and grapefruit segments in an alternating pattern on top of prepared tarts.
2. Drizzle with honey balsamic reduction and serve with a scoop of granite.

(Day of the event, we also discovered the that poaching syrup left over from the beets made a glorious crimson colored sauce that we used to paint the serving plates…)

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