One of our favorite restaurants in New York City is Sarabeth's. Located just south of Central Park, it's a regular for us when we visit because the food is SO AMAZING. (The tomato soup is to die for!) One morning for breakfast we were offered some "Four Flowers Juice" and thought we'd give it a try. It was superb! The best juice I've tasted. It was also $12 for a glass of it, so we laughed as we took small sips and then said, "well, that was about a dollar right there!" When I got their cookbook last year, I was very happy to be able to make this juice right at home....and not have to sip so sparingly! This recipe has been tweeked a little, but tastes just like sipping in NYC. Enjoy!
Good Morning Juice
Serves 8
2 cups water
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large bananas, peeled and quartered
4 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups pomegranate juice, optional (we love the color it gives it!)
1 tablespoon grenadine (optional, but recommended)
In a glass measuring cup, combine the water and sugar. Microwave on high until it comes to a full boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate the sugar syrup until ready to use. In a blender, puree the pineapple chunks and bananas until very smooth. Add the orange juice, lemon juice, and pomegranate juice and grenadine (if desired) and blend until smooth. Pour into a pitcher and stir in the simple syrup from the refrigerator. Refrigerate the juice until cold, at least 2 hours. Give it another stir before serving.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need water, sugar, a fresh pineapple, 3 bananas, orange juice, lemon juice, and grenadine (optional). I usually have some grenadine (which is concentrated pomegranate juice), but when I don't, like this day, it still tastes fantastic. The grenadine really doesn't change the flavor, but adds a little red coloring that makes the juice even more beautiful. We've since learned that pomegranate juice adds a nice color and some good flavor as well. (I tried substituting some powerful raspberry flavoring, but it didn't make any difference, so just ignore that in the picture.)
In a glass measuring cup, add the 2 cups water and 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Microwave on high, watching it until it boils. Remove and stir to fully dissolve the sugar. This simple syrup can now be refrigerated until you are ready to use. You can make this the day before if you wish.
Peel and cut an entire fresh pineapple into chunks.
Add the pineapple chunks and 3 large bananas (peeled and quartered) to a large blender. Puree the fruit until very smooth.
Add 4 cups of orange juice (not from concentrate).
Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and grenadine (if using) or pomegranate juice. Blend until smooth.
Pour the juice into a serving pitcher, then add the simple syrup. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Refrigerate the juice for at least 2 hours or until well chilled.
Serve with your favorite breakfast, or just drink this for breakfast! It will start your day out in the best way!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from "Four Flowers Juice" in Sarabeth's Good Morning Cookbook