5 Winter Sweetz Holiday Sides and Desserts That Will Amaze Your Family

The holiday season is upon us, if you couldn’t already tell by all the holiday merchandise taking up shelf space at your local grocery store. As we move closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas, you might start to get a little worried about those holiday dinners.

What are you going to serve? How are you going to keep things interesting? Are you afraid that it’s just going to be more of the same ol’, same ol’?

Stop! It doesn’t have to be that way! We here at Winter Sweetz have been experimenting with grapefruit dishes like mad scientists and the results are fantastic!

Check out some of these delicious holiday recipes that we have been working on.

1. Grapefruit-Campari Cranberry Relish

It’s no secret that cranberry sauce is one of the most sought-after dishes in a typical Thanksgiving spread. Wow your loved ones with this sweet and zesty take on a traditional side. Your family will be piling it on their plates.

What You’ll Need:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 cup fresh Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruit juice

1 cup fresh orange juice

½ cup pure cane sugar, plus more if needed

1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries

2 tablespoons Campari

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

2 Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruits, segmented

Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Chopped fresh parsley

What You’ll Do:

1. Over medium heat, heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan. Add the fresh ginger and onions and cook for around 5 minutes, or until the ginger and onions are soft. Next, add the grapefruit and orange juices along with the sugar and bring them to a boil. Cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture has reduced.
2. Stir in half of the cranberries and cook, stirring occasionally. Once the berries have popped, which is about 5 minutes, and the mixture begins to thicken, add in the remaining cranberries and the Campari. Once these cranberries pop, remove the mixture from the heat.
3. Lastly, stir in the orange zest along with the grapefruit segments. Add a sprinkle of kosher salt and a dash of freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to a festive Thanksgiving holiday bowl, stir in the fresh parsley and serve at room temperature.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook: 15 min

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

2. Citrus Season Sparkling Punch

Liven up the holiday party with this daring, sparkling punch that satiates your sweet tooth by delivering the Winter Sweetz grapefruit taste you crave with a little kick. This is an adult beverage, and as always, we’d like to remind you to never drink and drive.

Here’s what you will need:

¾ cup of white sugar

1 cup fresh Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruit juice

½ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup Chambord black raspberry liqueur

1 to 2 tablespoons Angostura aromatic bitters

1 bottle (750 ml) of Moet Chandon Holiday Edition Blanc de Noirs, chilled

Zest of 1 Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruits

Zest of 1 lemon

Grapefruit slices, cinnamon sticks, and fresh mint for garnish

To make the punch:

1. At least 4 hours before serving, pour the white sugar into a bowl. Take the grapefruit and lemon zest and scatter them in the bowl of sugar. With a wooden spoon, mix the contents, making sure that you really massage the zest into the sugar. After a few minutes, let it rest for 2 hours. You will be rewarded with sugar that is saturated in citrus oil.
2. After the two hour wait, add in the grapefruit and lemon juice, the Chambord, and the bitters. Mix well until the sugar has dissolved. Strain out the zest solids and place the punch in the refrigerator until serving time.

To serve:

Add the punch base into a pitcher or large punch bowl of your choice. Then pour in the sparkling wine and give the contents a good stir. Toss in a few slices of grapefruit, cinnamon sticks and mint leaves for garnish if desired.

Prep time: 10 minutes to assemble, 2 hours to rest

Cook time: 0

Serves: 6 servings

3. Honey Grapefruit with Banana

When you’ve eaten a ton of your aunt’s Thanksgiving turkey, your dad’s holiday ham, and a serving or two of stuffing more than you should have, this light and tasty dessert option should hit the spot without much of the regret.

What you will need:

2 cups of Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruit segments

¼ cup Winter Sweetz grapefruit juice

1 cup of sliced banana (about 1 whole banana)

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped mint

1 tablespoon of honey

Then do:

Combine the Winter Sweetz grapefruit segments, juice, banana, mint, and honey into a medium bowl. Toss the mixture gently to coat and serve.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0

Serves: 3 servings (serving size 1 cup)

4. Broiled Winter Sweetz Grapefruit

When you want crème brûlée but don’t really know how to make it, this perfect alternative is an exquisite dessert that tastes as if it were prepared by Gordon Ramsay himself.

Ingredients:

2 large Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruits, well chilled

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 small fresh mint sprigs

Broiler

Instructions:

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Cut the grapefruits in half crosswise. If needed, cut a sliver off of the bottom of the grapefruit so that it can stand upright.
3. Take a small, sharp knife—or even a serrated grapefruit knife if you have one—and loosen the grapefruit segments from the peel and the surrounding membranes. Leave the fruit in place and place the halves upright on a baking dish.
4. Stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl, and, using your fingers, sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the grapefruit halves. Place it under the broiler, roughly 4 inches away from the heat source, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sugar is uniformly bubbly.
5. Carefully take the baking dish out, shut down the broiler, and serve the halves in individual dishes with a mint sprig garnish.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 to 3 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

5. Winter Sweetz Texas Red Grapefruit Cake

And now for the showstopper. This deliciously soft, moist cake delivers subtle hints of citrus while the icing double downs on the sweet grapefruit taste with a little freshness of mint.

Collect this together:

2 cups of cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided

½ teaspoon of salt

2/3 cup canola oil

6 eggs, yolks and egg whites separated

2/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon of fresh Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruit juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon minced fresh mint

Then take these steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While it heats up, butter a 10-inch bundt pan and sprinkle the inside with a little bit of flour. Place it off to the side.
2. Sift together the flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, salt, and the baking powder into a large bowl. Place this mixture off to the side as well.
3. Take a small bowl and mix the egg yolks with the canola oil, 2/3 cup of Winter Sweetz Texas Red grapefruit juice, lemon zest, and the vanilla. Next, pour into the flour mixture and mix until smooth.
4. In another large bowl, drop in the egg whites and the cream of tartar and beat it until you form soft peaks. Now add in the remaining ½ cup of sugar a tablespoon at a time and beat until you can form stiff peaks.
5. Afterward, take the egg whites and gently fold them into the cake batter. Once that is complete, spoon it into the bundt pan.
6. Set it in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Poke the cake with a toothpick, and if it comes out clean, it’s ready to go. Take it out of the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
7. While it rests, this would be the perfect opportunity to make the icing. Take the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of Winter Sweetz grapefruit juice, and the minced fresh mint and mix, adding more powdered sugar or juice to get the consistency desired. Finally, drizzle the icing over the cake and serve.

Prep: 10 minutes

Bake: 45 minutes with a 10 minute resting period

Serves:10 to 12 servings

Winter Sweetz Grapefruit is here! Come Join The Grapefruit Revolution!

Our Winter Sweetz grapefruit is finally on the market, stacked high in all of its grapefruit goodness. Check your local grocery store for our availability or ask your local grocery manager to give us a ring at (956) 424-7775 to get their supply.