Seasonal Cooking: Ruby Red Grapefruit Pie

Welcome to Episode 17 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: "Seasonal Cooking: Ruby Red Grapefruit Pie"

{WATCH THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/kX1IuqTUAOA}

Citrus is in abundance right now, so if you’re like me and have ruby red grapefruit piled up on your bench top, you should definitely try this pie! It’s arguably my favourite recipe in our Life-Changing Food cookbook* and I will shout its praises every citrus season til my dying day!! (I've included the recipe for you below.)

Grapefruit pie is a local favourite in South Texas (USA) and in ruby red grapefruit season you’ll find it served at little roadside barbecue joints where they guard the recipe closely. I only know about it because my parents are Texan and lived in South Texas for years… but this recipe is way too good to hide away.

The pie's crunchy crust holds big, juicy sections of ruby red grapefruit set in a sweet citrus jelly, and it's not bitter, because the grapefruit pith (the skin between each segment) is removed. Some versions have a layer of cream cheese spread over the pastry under the grapefruit and jelly, to protect the crust from getting soggy, and this also acts as a creamy foil to the tangy fruit and crunchy crust. I love it best this way - I use cream cheese or labne, or I make cashew cream cheese for a dairy-free version. The traditional accompaniment is a big dollop of fresh whipped cream (which is always sweetened in Texas, but I prefer it unsweetened), or you can use coconut cream if you’re avoiding dairy.

And don't panic about filleting the grapefruit - watch my demonstration and give it a go! Once you get the hang of it, it's quite easy. And if your pieces turn out a little mangled and messy, don't worry, it will taste just as amazing.

*Note: You can buy the digital format of the Life-Changing Food cookbook from the Apple or Android app stores - search for “Life-Changing Food"!

RECIPE (makes 2 pies)

Almond Meal Pastry
300g blanched almond meal
2 eggs
¼ tsp fine sea salt
60g soft unsalted butter or 30g coconut oil, plus extra for greasing dish

Pie
250g cream cheese, labne, quark or cashew 'cream cheese' (see below)
5-6 firm, medium-sized ruby red grapefruit
juice of 1 large orange
90g honey or pure maple syrup (or to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1 Tbsp gelatine powder

Cashew 'Cream Cheese' (for DF variation)
200g raw cashews
70-80g lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
80g filtered water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180⁰C. Grease 2 x 20-22cm pie dishes with butter or coconut oil.
2. Mix all pastry ingredients together until a dough is formed (20 sec/speed 4 in Thermomix). If dough is too sticky, flatten into a disc and wrap in baking paper, then chill in fridge for 20 mins.
3. Roll out half the pastry between two sheets of baking paper, remove top sheet, turn over into pie dish and press down gently. Remove remaining shee of paper. Press edges of pastry with fingers to make it even all the way around the top of the pie dish, then flute edges or crimp with a fork, if desired. Repeat with remaining pastry and second pie dish.
4. Bake pastry bases in oven for 12-15 minutes at 180⁰C, or until golden brown on edges. Set aside to cool.
5. Juice one grapefruit to get ½ a cup (125ml) of juice, and set aside for jelly. Peel and filet remaining grapefruit carefully. This is an important step, as the pith is bitter and will ruin the taste of the pie if you leave it on. (See video how-to.)
6. Pour the grapefruit juice and 1/2 cup of the orange juice into a saucepan or Thermomix. Add honey and gelatine, and melt together over medium heat until gelatine is dissolved, stirring constantly. (Approx. 5 mins/100C/speed 3 in Thermomix.) Set aside to cool while you prepare pie.
7. Whisk together cream cheese/labne/quark with vanilla extract or powder, until smooth. (Or use the cashew 'cream cheese' instead for a dairy-free option.) Spread the base of the pie crusts with preferred cheese mixture.
8. Arrange the peeled (filleted) grapefruit sections on top of the cream cheese in a single layer (see photo in cookbook) or arrange however you like. Place pies into the freezer to chill for 20 mins so that the cream cheese is firm before adding the jelly.
9. Once jelly is at room temperature (no cooler, or it will start to set and won’t pour smoothly), drizzle onto the back of a spoon over the grapefruit in the pie crust (see video), so that the jelly reaches just to the top of the pastry edge. Carefully place pies into freezer to set for approximately 1/2 hour. (Mix together any leftover jelly and grapefruit pieces in a bowl and refrigerate, adding some other fruit if you like, to make a yummy jelly snack for another day!)
10. Store finished pies in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze (well wrapped) for up to 3 months.
11. Serve pie cold, with whipped cream or coconut ice cream if desired.

Variations

Nut-free: swap almond meal for pepita and/or sunflower seed meal in the pastry, and use a nut-free cream cheese option.

Egg free: replace eggs in pastry with a mixture of 2 Tbsp chia seeds + 4 Tbsp water.

Dairy free: use coconut oil in pastry and cashew 'cream cheese' in pie.

Visit Quirky Cooking for more healthy eating and healthy lifestyle tips here: https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/ [Cover photo by Cook Republic for Life-Changing Food]