A few months ago, I asked my Facebook friends the following question: “I have been dissatisfied with every brand of vitamins I tried. I’m almost giving up. Can anyone recommend a multivitamin they tried and liked?”
A few of my friends answered with brands of vitamins they liked (the liquid kind was a popular one) but one of them replied with “Try figs, dates, raisins… warm grapefruit juice with honey is a winner.”
I was surprised by his answer, to say the least. I had never heard of grapefruit juice being consumed warm or as a dietary supplement.
All I knew was that it’s packed with vitamin C and that when I’m craving it badly, it usually means I’m about to get a cold and my immune system needs a boost. But that’s not what got me intrigued about it, I was simply curious about how it would taste.
Lo and behold, I gave warm grapefruit tea a try. I had a vanilla bean in the pantry that I thought would add a sweet aroma and milden the bitterness a bit. I threw in a few peppercorns and hoped for the best.
The grapefruit tea came out very tasty. Every warm sip held notes of vanilla and just a hint of heat from the pepper. It was a great cup that I would most definitely make again.
Hot Grapefruit Tea Recipe
Serving: 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice
- 1-inch vanilla bean split and scraped*
- 2 peppercorns
- Honey, to taste (optional)
Directions:
Step 1: Place all the ingredients except the honey in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Discard the vanilla and peppercorns. Taste and sweeten with honey, if you wish. Serve warm.
*Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape its seeds with a paring knife. I typically a ceramic knife like the Wolf Bar which is one of the best ceramic knives I have come across as it needs little to no sharpening.
Step 2: Next up, just add both the bean and the seeds to the juice.