The secret for effortlessly sectioning grapefruit came from observing our cateress Emma at my mother’s parties. With a sharp knife, peel away the skin together with the membrane of the grapefruit, exposing the entire juicy surface. Remove all bits of white pith and exterior membrane. (Emma achieved this with one continuous peel, which she then fashioned into beautiful ‘roses’ used to decorate the platters.)

Cut each grapefruit in two, following the direction of the interior membranes rather than bisecting them. Excise a V-shaped segment where the interior membranes converge along the central axis of the fruit. Once that inner connection is removed, the membranes separating the grapefruit segments lift off easily, revealing perfect segments.