This is how summer tastes to us: 5 personal gourmet ideas from the Great Taste team

There are products that look exciting on the shelf – and then there are those where, after the first taste, you immediately start thinking: What else could I do with this?

These are exactly the kind of discoveries we love at Great Taste.

With over 150 specialties in our assortment, we naturally try things out, combine them, and sometimes spontaneously discover something new at home, too. This is often how the best ideas are born: uncomplicated, without a long list of ingredients, and yet with that certain something.

That is why today we are once again taking you to our table to show you five products we especially love using in summer – and, above all, what we make with them.

From a quick apéro to a light summer plate to a BBQ evening, there are ideas here that you can try at home without much effort.

What awaits you in this article

• Bonito del Norte – our favorite for light summer plates
• Chimichurri – how to add flavor to the grill in no time
• Rosemary Oil – Mediterranean aroma for simple summer cooking
• Patè di Carciofi – our quick idea for the apéro
• Lemon-Grapefruit Fruit Vinegar – surprising freshness for salads, desserts & more
• Conclusion: Good taste can be uncomplicated

Bonito del Norte – our favorite for light summer plates

On warm days, we like our meals to be uncomplicated. A few really good ingredients, some fresh bread on the side – done.

That is exactly when the Bonito del Norte from Aimar comes into play. This white tuna is line-caught in the Cantabrian Sea, processed within less than 24 hours, and then preserved in olive oil. The result is fine, succulent fillets that would be far too good to simply be mixed into something else.

How we like to eat it best

Slice ripe tomatoes, arrange the Bonito fillets on top, add a few fresh herbs, and round it off with a good dressing. Serve with crusty bread – and you have a light summer plate ready on the table.

Bonito is also wonderful on crostini, in a summery salad, or with pasta.

Silvie's tip: Keep the fillets as whole as possible and add them to the plate at the very end. This really lets their fine texture shine.

👉 Discover light gourmet delicacies for your summer kitchen

Chimichurri – how to add flavor to the grill in no time

For us, a good chimichurri is one of those things that can make a BBQ evening really exciting with surprisingly little effort.

The Chimichurri spice blend from EPIC SPICE brings together parsley, garlic, chili, coriander, oregano, and more. It is very easy to prepare an aromatic chimichurri sauce from it.

How we make our chimichurri

Mix the spice blend with good olive oil, a little vinegar, and lemon juice, then let it sit for a short while.

Then we bring it straight to the table. Everyone takes what they like: a spoonful for their steak, some over grilled vegetables, with chicken, fish, or crispy potatoes.

The beauty of it: with a single sauce, everyone can refine their own plate as they please.

👉 Discover spices for your next BBQ evening

Rosemary Oil – Mediterranean aroma for simple summer cooking

Sometimes it is a single ingredient that turns a very simple dish into something you look forward to while you are even preparing it.

The Olive Oil with Rosemary from A L'Olivier falls exactly into this category for us. Its Mediterranean rosemary aroma suits potatoes, vegetables, poultry, and lamb, but is just as good on pasta, pizza, or bruschetta.

Our uncomplicated summer idea

Halve small potatoes, toss them with a little rosemary oil, roast them in the oven or on the grill until golden brown, and season with sea salt just before serving.

Simple – but that is exactly how we like summer cooking.

And if it needs to be even quicker? Drizzle a few drops over freshly baked focaccia or grilled vegetables. Just the aroma alone brings on a bit of a holiday feeling.

👉 Discover Mediterranean oils and specialties

Patè di Carciofi – our quick idea for the apéro

Guests are arriving, the wine is chilling – but is something still missing on the table?

For situations like these, we love products that can be turned into a lovely apéro without much preparation.

The Patè di Carciofi from I Contadini is made with a high proportion of artichokes and brings the authentic taste of Puglia straight to your bread. Creamy, aromatic, and wonderfully uncomplicated.

How we serve it

Toast a few slices of good bread, spread generously with the artichoke cream, and garnish with fresh herbs as you like.

And here is where two of today's favorites meet: Add a few drops of rosemary oil over the crostini – and you have a small combination that usually gets finished faster than planned.

The artichoke cream also goes perfectly with antipasti, sandwiches, or as a companion to light fish dishes.

👉 Discover gourmet delicacies for your next apéro

Lemon-Grapefruit Fruit Vinegar – surprising freshness for salads, desserts & more

For many, fruit vinegar automatically belongs in a salad dressing. Yet it can do so much more.

The Lemon-Grapefruit Fruit Vinegar from A L'Olivier brings a wonderfully fresh citrus note to the summer kitchen. Of course, it makes an excellent addition to a light dressing or fish – but we like it precisely because it allows you to experiment a bit.

Try it differently

Add a few drops over vanilla ice cream.

It sounds unusual at first, but it is precisely this contrast of creamy sweetness, fine acidity, and fresh citrus fruit that turns it into a surprising summer dessert.

Cocktails and non-alcoholic mocktails also get an exciting freshness with a small splash. With sparkling water, ice, and fresh herbs, for example, you can conjure up a summery drink very easily.

And of course, the classic remains: mix a little fruit vinegar with good olive oil and drizzle over a crisp summer salad.

👉 Discover fruit vinegars and summery specialties

Conclusion: Good taste can be uncomplicated

For us, it is often not the elaborate recipes that stick with us in everyday life. It is the small ideas that you try once and then keep making again and again.

A spoonful of chimichurri on grilled vegetables. Bonito on sun-ripened tomatoes. Rosemary oil over crispy potatoes. Artichoke cream on warm crostini. Or a few drops of lemon-grapefruit fruit vinegar over vanilla ice cream.

That is exactly why we love special gourmet delicacies: A single good product can be enough to turn something simple into a little discovery.

And perhaps one of our five ideas will end up on your table this summer as well.

👉 Discover our gourmet specialties and find your own favorite combinations.