Apricots!!

Last summer we had an incredible blueberry season.  This summer it is APRICOTS!!!! Apricots always make be think of my sister. She is the non-cook but makes 2 things fabulously, one of which is the Austrian apricot dessert we grew up on.  Our grandmother would wrap an apricot half with pastry dough made from ricotta, flour and egg.  She would boil them then toss them in a warm cinnamon, butter. A lot of work but delicious!

Here is a Simple Gourmet Fruit Crisp recipe we like to use with any season fruit.  This would be great with all apricots or mix of apricots and other seasonal stone fruit.

Seasonal Fruit Crisp
Toss 4 cups of fruit with
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon and place into a baking dish.

Make topping by mixing  
- 2 cups oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stick of butter with your fingers until the butter is evenly distributed.

Top fruit with topping and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and hot. 
Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

Simple French Summer Menu for Bastille Day

Happy Bastille Day! So maybe you're not taking the day off to celebrate France's Independence Day, but we've got some great recipes from our last wine pairing class to share with you. It's all about simple cooking that celebrates French ingredients and flavors....and it makes for the perfect summer entertaining menu. So pop open some French champagne or a bottle of Bandol Rose and Bon Appetite!

Start with this easy appetizer full of Provencal flavors.

Provencale Olive & Tomato Baguette
makes 1 baguette

1 soft baguette
1 tbl butter
1 white onion, diced
3 cups baby tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon herbs de provence (check out our Facebook page for more info)
1 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place baguette directly onto the rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. When melted, add the onions. Cook for about 10 minutes
until browned. Add the tomatoes, herbs de provence and olives. Cook for another 5 minutes or until tomatoes have
broken down and released their juices.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, cut baguette, lengthwise and top with the tomato mixture. Cut into pieces and serve.


For the main course, serve this impressive whole side of salmon with two very different sauces.


Lemon & Sea Salt Roasted Side of Salmon
8-10 servings

3 lemons, thinly sliced
fresh thyme sprigs, handful
1 side fresh salmon fillet
olive oil
ground black pepper
sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Arrange the lemon slices in the bottom of a large baking dish, overlapping slightly. Scatter over the thyme sprigs.
Place the salmon on top of the lemon and rub the top with olive oil.
Roast for about 15-20 minutes, or until done to your likeness.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with pepper and sea salt.
Serve warm or chilled

Fig & Black Pepper Marmalade
about 2 cups

1 white onion, diced
1 tbl butter
1 cup chopped dried figs
4 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt
*** Preparation ****
Preheat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and onions and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes until
onions are soft. Add the figs, thyme, orange zest and juice, honey and pepper. Stir together and cook for another 10
minutes over medium-low heat. Add a bit of water is there is not enough liquid in the pot.
Cook until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. Season with salt as needed.

Caper Cucumber Salsa Verde
makes 4 cups

2 cups finely diced cucumber
1 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup capers, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature.

And for the perfect starch-meets-salad side dish, whip up this easy potato salad.


French-Style Hericot Vert, Potato and Tomato Salad
serves 6-8

2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb hericot vert (French green beans), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups baby tomatoes, halved
1 cup roughly chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a small handful of salt.
Add the potatoes and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until just tender (don't cook until mushy!). Remove with a slotted
spoon and add the green beans to the hot water. Cook for 1 minute and drain.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the shallots, mustard and vinegar. Add the hot potatoes and beans to the bowl
and toss.
Add the olive oil, tomatoes, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Toss and taste. Add more salt and pepper as
needed.
This salad is best served slightly warm.

Simple Gourmet Kids - Cooking Camp

We just finished our first week of Kids Cooking Camp.
We are teaching kids ages 8-14 the culinary basics so they are able to recreate healthy delicious meals at home. It is a full hands-on experience for them from start to finish. On Thursdays we take a walk to the Redondo Beach Farmer’s market where they will select and purchase our ingredients for the day!
Check out our video and see these kids in action!

Melon with an Elegant Twist

One of this season's great pairings is ripe, juicy melon with salty, rich prosciutto. We've taken this classic combo and elevated it to a simple, elegant appetizer. This is the perfect appetizer for any Summer dinner party. The sweetness of ripe melon, with salt prosciutto, crunchy bread and creamy brie -- this one is a keeper!

Brioche with Prosciutto, Brie and Melon Salsa

makes about 24 pieces

6 slices brioche bread
olive oil
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
4 oz brie
1 cup finely diced honeydew or cantelope
1 tablespoon snipped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the crust from the bread slices and then each slice into four squares. Brush with olive oil and place onto a baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden. Cool completely.

Top each cooled toast with a little square of cheese and a bit of prosciutto.

In a small bowl, stir together the melon, chives, mint and lemon. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Top the toasts with the melon salsa.

Serve immediately.

Private party in The Simple Gourmet Kitchen

Looking for a fun way to entertain your clients? Check out one of our events in our own kitchen in Redondo Beach.
Collaboratively we made an Italian Summer Dinner and brought in owner/sommelier Brian Doolittle from Bacchus Wines, Manhattan Beach to pair 5 spectacular Italians wines with the menu.
Good food, good wine. Lots of fun!!
Thank you Team One for putting this video together!!
Melanie and Taji

Perfectly Grilled Fish

Are you scared to grill fish? Worried that it will stick to the grill or fall apart? You are not alone! The good news is that if you follow these basic rules, you'll have perfectly grilled fish every time.

1. Pick the right fish! Avoid flaky, thin fillets like snapper, catfish, tilapia and some kind of cod. Instead, go for thick, meaty options like salmon, halibut, swordfish or tuna.

2. Let the fish sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking and pat very dry with a paper towel.

3. Season the fish well with salt and pepper.

4. Don't oil the grill! Instead, brush the fish liberally with olive oil.

5. To avoid sticking: Get the grill VERY hot. Place the fish on the grill and leave in one place until dark grill marks form and the fillet is easy to turn.

6. Most fish only needs about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Grilled Salmon with Kalamata Olive & Greek Yogurt Sauce
serves 6

6 salmon fillets
salt and pepper
olive oil

for the sauce:
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 lemon, zested
1 cup greek yogurt
2 scallions, chopped, whites & greens

*** Preparation ****

Preheat a grill to high (or indoor grill pan). Pat the salmon dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Rub salmon fillets with plenty of olive oil (don't skimp!).
Place the salmon on the grill and leave alone for about 2-3 minutes or until dark grill marks have formed and salmon can be easily turned.
Turn and cook salmon on the second side.

For the sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together all of the sauce ingredients. Add a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the salmon hot or at room temperature with the cold yogurt sauce.

Enjoy!!

Passover - Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo Ball soup has always been one of the main attractions at the Passover dinner table. My mom, being from Germany, always made her matzo balls with matzo as the base and matzo meal as the binder. It wasn’t until I was married did I realize that this was unusual. Most of America was eating a matzo meal ball. It took some time for me to get used to eating the fluffy version versus the dense herbed, version I grew up on but given the challenge by my husband, I was determined to find the perfect recipe! I am thrilled to say I think I found it. There are 2 things that make these balls light and fluffy: whipped egg whites and club soda. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Makes about 8 matzo balls

2 egg yolks
¼ cup club soda
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup matzo meal
2 egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks

Beat egg yolks with a whisk. Add in club soda, salt, pepper and matzo meal.
Stir in ½ of whipped egg whites to moisten the batter. Fold in remaining egg whites.
Cover and refrigerate over night.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using an ice cream scoop, dip the scoop into the boiling water then scoop from matzo ball batter. Drop into boiling water and repeat the step. Lower heat to medium, cover and allow the matzo balls to cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from water and add to your chicken stock.