Don't be offput by the blandness of the photo - this dish is delightful.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big proponent of what I like to call “upping the veg” – which, loosely translated, means adding fruits and vegetables into my daily diet whenever I can.

For those of you about to label me a self-righteous culinary ascetic, rest assured that I consume my fair share of dairy, meat, and sweets – far more than the FDA deems appropriate, but, then again, I am rather skeptical of a government agency that gives its approval to diet supplements that cause one to soil oneself, but that’s neither here nor there. For health and weight-sake, I do try to squeeze the errant fruit or veggie into my non-stop noshing, and any recipe that can make that task more enjoyable, becomes an instant favorite.

I discovered baked grapefruit while on a road trip through the south with my dear friend, LN. We stopped into the most wonderful inn in Savannah, and had a scrumptious brunch of sausages, raspberry crumble, eggs, strong coffee, and baked grapefruit served to us by the delightfully eccentric proprietor, who proceeded to regale us with tales of Savannah in the era of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

As I so often tie happy memories to the foods I was eating at the time, I bought his cookbook, which included a recipe (if you could call it that) for the baked grapefruit.

I’ve made it several times, and it always satisfies, particularly in the winter, when the idea of eating fruit for breakfast, instead of a big bowl of oatmeal, plateful of eggs and bacon, or fried bread smothered with Nutella seems akin to torture. It’s still light and crisp-tasting, but the warmed brandy gives it a headiness that soothes as potently as the more fat-ladened brunch staples.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Brandied Baked Grapefruit, Serves 2

Adapted from Lowcountry Delights

Ingredients:

2 Red Grapefruits

4 Tbls. Brandy

3 Tsp. Sugar in the Raw

4 Sour Cherries, Dried or Fresh, optional

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Split the grapefruits in half. With a paring knife, slice along the spine of each wedge.

Pour 2 Tsp. of brandy into each of the halves of grapefruit and let sit as the oven pre-heats. After 10 minutes, add the remaining 4 tsp. of brandy to the grapefruit and cover the grapefruit halves with the 3 Tsp. of Sugar in the Raw.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the sour cherries to the middle of each grapefruit half to garnish and serve.