Grapefruit Three Ways

It occurred to me recently that Looly, Bean, and Roo had never tried grapefruit. Of all things, grapefruit?!

It shouldn't have taken this long. I love grapefruit. We often have a few stashed in the fridge. The truth is I've been lazy. It is inherently easier to hand over an easy peel clementine than to whittle out tiny wedges of grapefruit with the paring knife. In any event, we were overdue. 

To increase the excitement of trying a new food, I suggested a Grapefruit Three Ways challenge. The kids were intrigued. I would present them with three slightly different preparations and let them choose which one they liked best. For children who are already familiar with grapefruit, you could get more creative here and offer grapefruit juice, grapefruit and avocado salad, grapefruit sorbet, grapefruit vinaigrette over salad greens, or even candied grapefruit rind.  Since it was their first time, I kept things basic and chose:

1. Plain, fresh, cold grapefruit
2. Fresh grapefruit with a sprinkle of granulated sugar on top
3. Broiled grapefruit with caramelized butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon on top

While I'm partial to the broiled variety myself, the kids were unanimous in their decision.  And the winner is...

Fresh grapefruit with a sprinkle of granulated sugar!

Now, grapefruit is fairly innocuous. It's colorful, mildly scented and has a delightfully invigorating taste. This idea of three (or more) preparations of any food, however, is a great way to encourage kids to sample something they might otherwise turn their noses up at.  We've added grapefruit to our fruit repertoire and will be highlighting more Food Three Ways challenges here soon.