Citrus Layer Pie

Are you ready for another grapefruit recipe?  I hope so, because this citrus layer pie is sweet, silky goodness.  

Over Easter weekend, I had planned to host a small brunch party with some close friends, but I was worried about the time it would take to make the apartment "party-ready."  So when a good friend and co-worker invited us over, I eagerly accepted.  He was particularly keen on celebrating the holiday since it was his son's first Easter experience.

Little Viktor Diego Tautz is just under 8 months old this month, and although he can't yet run through the yard on his own, he likes to cruise around in his baby Jeep Liberty that is almost as cool as the new Jeep his dad drives. For Easter he was excited to spend time with his good friend Peter Cottontail and to hunt through the yard for hidden, colorful eggs.  He needed a little help to find his gifts from the Easter Bunny, but that was mostly because he was more interested in the grass than in finding presents. (Already a true outdoorsman!)  Diego still has a few years to go until he can enjoy the champagne, cakes, and yummy citrus pie with the rest of the adults; however, in short time he will join the ranks of children all over the world who celebrate this sugar-laden holiday by eagerly scarfing down Cadbury eggs and chocolate bunnies. 

Oven Roasted Grapefruit-Cilantro Chicken

Have you ever roasted a chicken before?  If your answer is yes, then you have experienced what I think is a singular pleasure: after more than an hour of sitting around doing absolutely nothing, you get to open the oven and pull out a gorgeous, golden roasted bird.  Your family, friends, or guests will oooh and ahhh as they appreciate the beauty of your creation.  Their mouths will water in anticipation as they breathe in the aroma of freshly cooked chicken, herbs, and spices.  Meanwhile, you (the triumphant chef) can give a careless toss of your head and say, "Oh, it was really not hard at all!" And you can say that because it is the straight truth.   


Until about a year and a half ago, I had not experienced this pleasure for myself.  When I was growing up, my mother or grandmother roasted a turkey every year for thanksgiving, but we never had a whole roasted chicken for a special occasion or a Friday night dinner.  Because our thanksgiving turkey took such a long time to make (and more likely because my one-time personal attempt at turkey roasting was a debacle), I mistakenly assumed that producing a successful roasted chicken must be a tricky thing that required some kitchen magic.  Oh how wrong I was!  The recipe that convinced me to conquer my chicken anxiety was Ina Garten's "Perfect Roast Chicken" from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  This was one of the first cookbooks I ever received, and it remains at the top of my list of favorites; I have yet to try a recipe from this book that is not satisfyingly delicious and deceptively simple all at once.  

Avocado and Red Grapefruit Salad

With 20 pounds of grapefruits to consume from our trip out to Anza Borrego, I went in search of recipes online.  I hit up all my favorite food blogs, but for most of them, an entry of "grapefruit" in the search box came up with a short list of zero recipes.  Even searching on common cooking sites returned only a handful recipes, and many of them were not to my liking.  I quickly realized that the grapefruit seems to be the black sheep of the citrus family. 

I wonder why this fruit has such a stigma?  Though the outside of a grapefruit is often misshapen, the waxy rind always greets you with a cheerful blush and hides a jewel-like treasure of fruit within.  Even the delicate pink juice is a special treat.