Grapefruit and Saffron Confit

We moved here at the end of a warm and sunny December. The concrete walls, bricks and tiles made a furnace out the back, and I was inspired to plant citrus trees. They promised to be, well, sunny. And a couple of them certainly were. The lemon and grapefruit have both delighted me with gorgeous yellow fruit this winter--the only bright spots in an otherwise slumbering garden. (Their cousins the orange and lime have registered their disgust with the Wellington climate and just glare at me leafily. I think they need to come inside to the shed for some pampering.)

We're not talking bumper crops here. There were eight grapefruit, quite small, but what they lacked in looks and heft, they made up for in juiciness and zing. In spite of the freakish split one called Pacman (who ended his days in a cocktail), and one that's stubborn on the tree, refusing to ripen, I consider this crop a triumph, and I wanted to celebrate with more than a nice fresh grapefruit for breakfast.

A good rifle through the cookbooks and back issues of Cuisine and Dish got me all fired up for some  immediate grapefruit gratification in the form of a loaf and cup cakes, and the promise of grapefruit intensity to drip into drinks and drizzle over ice cream for months to come with grapefruit and saffron confit.

Before we get into the recipe, I just want to stop for a moment and admire what is surely one of nature's most intelligent and generous food gifts. Inside a tough skin and dense spongy protective wrapping, we find an aresnal of vitamin C bombs, just waiting to explode in our mouths. Best of all, they are here at the very time of year our immune systems are in need of protection. I'm in awe.

Grapefruit and Saffron Confit

The recipe was for orange confit, but it sounded like the perfect way to hang on to my grapefruits for several months. (Dish, August-September 2010)

• 3 grapefruits, sliced very thin, preferably with a mandolin so they look all even and perfect.
• 3.5 cups water
• 2.5 cups sugar
• a pinch of saffron

Bring the fruit, saffron and water to a gentle boil and simmer for 10 - 20 minutes, until the pith is translucent. The thinner you slice, the quicker this will happen.

Add the sugar, stir gently until it's dissolved, and simmer to reduce the liquid to a syrup. The recipe said another 30 mins... I decided to fish out my grapefruit slices for this stage because they were very thin and I didn't want them to disintegrate. A slotted spoon was a good tool for this. (Dog on mat optional, but highly recommended.)

Once the syrup is the consistency you like it (drizzleable was my ideal), put the fruit back in the pot, and let it cool a bit while you sterilize a jar to store it in.

Because I will keep this one in the fridge, my sterilization method is a little laxer than sterilizing for jam.

• Put water on to boil in the kettle.
• Wash jar in hot soapy water and dry.
• Sit the jar on a towel or wooden board inside your sink -- just don't sit it on a cold surface or it might crack.
• Before the jar cools off, fill it to overflowing with boiling water. 
• Cover the lid or seal with boiling water too.
• Let sit for 10 mins, then empty the water, and fill with the hot fruit and syrup.

What to do with grapefruit confit?

• The syrup is a cordial, so splash some in sparkling water, or in a cocktail.
• Drizzle it on ice cream, custard, yogurt.
• Put the slices into or on top of a cake instead of icing.*
• Heat the syrup and soak into a hot loaf or cake.*

* Next post: Grapefruit loaf and grapefruit cup cakes. 

So what's with the saffron?

More for colour than flavour. I can't taste it, but there's a rich golden glow about the jar that I doubt would have come from the fruit alone. It's just a flash of the exotic to brighten up mid winter.