Last week Whole Foods had some sort of fancy citrus bonanza, and I thought I’d get my fill at the tail end of the season. I picked up a pomelo (it was the size of my head!), a honey mandarin, two of something that I think were tangelos and one other. I’m sorry, I should have written down the names–I’ll look for the receipt later. I set the pomelo aside for later* once I’d broken down the other fruit and found that I had plenty.
I supremed the citrus to use in a breakfast parfait on Saturday. It’s really easy and sort of therapeutic, and makes the fruit nice to eat, juicy, and pretty.
Cut the ends, skin and pith off the fruit:
Then (I’m sorry my photos didn’t come out) use a sharp thin knife to cut along the membrane on either side of each segment. The pieces come out naked and tidy unless you didn’t cut the ends off far enough (not that I’d know anything about that…).
I got a container of full-fat greek yogurt, put a little in each bowl, then a scoop of the mixed up sections of citrus and a drizzle of raw honey on the yogurt:
Once I’d assembled this I worried a bit that the citrus/dairy thing would be a problem but it was quite tasty. And I loved making the supremes; I will definitely do that for salads and things in the future.
*Major disappointment. After enjoying the lovely scent of the pomelo for a few days, I broke it open only to find the flesh flavorless and pretty dry. So sad. Still, it was so huge and fun!
Yeah…pomelos aren’t good eating. I heard they’re used for making candied rinds and bathing most of the time.
I have also had bad luck with pomelos – I fear Emily is right. But I also like having the unusual citrus around as sculpture. I’m thinking of planting a Buddha’s Hand Citron just so I can show off that weirdo fruit!
And by the way, I am so impressed with your culinary technique – I am so afraid to attempt supreming lest I accidentaly slit my throat.
Hmm, well, I’m glad I’m not the only one! It smelled so wonderful that I bet the candied peels would be sensational–like grapefruit without bitterness problems?
Emily: Bathing? Please elaborate!
Germi: Supreming really isn’t hard; this was my first try ever. Use a small straight-bladed paring knife (not a bird’s eye) and go slowly. It’s fun.
Blood oranges are the food oft he gods, or at least one of them. I first encountered the juice (organic, volcanic, Italian) bottled in Trader Joe’s, then my education continued in leaps — organic blood oranges from CA at the same store, and then the real thing in Sicily last month. Deep maroon juice when squeezed, a tart taste . . . what they had on Olympus before the feta cheese and spinach omelet. Keep up the good food works!
Whoa, how strange. Literally minutes ago, my boyfriend and I were wondering whether one can get pomelos in the states- yam som-o (pomelo salad) is one of our favorite Thai foods. This post answered that question- though the fact that it was dry and flavorless isn’t very comforting. -X
Xander, talk to me! I take it a good pomelo is anything but dry and bland–how do you pick a good one, what’s it like, and what’s in yam som-o??
The segments of a pomelo should be tart and sweet, and extremely juicy- like a grapefruit but less bitter. Unfortunately, I don’t have any tips for buying them- here, you just buy a few segments at a time, either from the grocery store or a trusted street-stand. That way, you can tell at a glance that they’re plump and flavorful.
Yam som-o is a delicious dish of pomelo, fish juice, lime, chili jam, and coconut, and is often served with shrimp. It’s sweet and tart, and a really interesting combination of textures and flavors. I have a very tasty recipe for it, if you’re curious to try it. -X