During my childhood, a Japanese family friend, Mrs. Otsuka, made grapefruit jello, which she served in grapefruit shells (similar to lemon sorbet being served in a hollowed-out lemon). A few years ago, I finally tracked down a Japanese recipe for this dish, which turns out to be quite simple. First, lightly spray the inside of the gelatin mold(s) with cooking spray (see Note 2 below). Second, using a boning knife, cut the top and bottom of two grapefruit, then carefully cut the rind off each grapefruit, using vertical strokes, until the flesh is exposed and pith gone (see Note 3 below). Gently remove the segments and place them in a mixing bowl, making sure to capture any remaining grapefruit juice. Set aside grapefruit segments and juice. Third, heat 1 cup water in a saucepan until it’s almost boiling,
then turn off. Add 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp honey, stir until dissolved. In a separate bowl, mix 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin (1 Tbsp = 1 ½ packets Knox brand) with 4 Tbsp room-temperature water. Slowly stir the gelatin mixture into the sugar-honey water until dissolved. Add 2 Tbsp grapefruit juice to the liquid. Finally, place the grapefruit segments in molds, then pour gelatin mixture into each mold. Refrigerate until set (a few hours). This recipe is from: http://japanesefood.about.com/od/japanesedessertsweet/r/grapefruitjello.htm.
Note: After a few failed attempts to dislodge the jello from its unsprayed glass mold, I gave up and took the photo of the jello in its glass bowl. (Jan. 2014)
Note 2: Based on other online recipes for gelatin molds, many recommend lightly spraying the inner mold with cooking spray. I have found that this helps with glass molds but is not necessary for plastic molds. (Dec. 2017)
Note 3: Useful guidance on how to segment grapefruit:
https://heartbeetkitchen.com/2016/recipes/type/breakfast/how-to-segment-a-grapefruit-the-easy-way/ (Dec. 2017)
Cooking Adventures 