The perfect appetizer is when the beauty of food shines from its seasonality, flavors, people with whom you share it, but especially if it’s been inspired from travels and can transport you back. From swimming in the Mediterranean’s vibrant blue waters, absorbing the calming rows of lavender fields, savoring fresh and vibrant Provençal dishes and sharing time there with friends, I will do anything to relive our family’s memories in Provence. Today’s traditional Friday afternoon happy hour is my attempt at doing just that.

Olive tapenade highlights the abundance of Provence’s olive groves, so naturally outdoor markets are lined with every olive imaginable, inviting shoppers to indulge in the fruition of the region. Not far off are ready-made tapenades offering the traditional dip made from Niçoise olives, or others with unique twists like sun-dried tomato or roasted red peppers. It was a dish we appreciated when there, so recreating Southern France’s culinary staple is a sure way of whisking us back to bathing in Provence’s warm sun with the sounds of cicadas humming in the background. So, for our Friday French apéro, we grab a baguette, I whip up an olive tapenade, uncork a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc and we pretend Provence’s vibrancy isn’t too far off.

With only a few ingredients, I recommend finding the best quality to maximize the flavor. Our local grocery store’s olive bar showcases the perfect options for a bold tapenade and like any good dish, it’s a blank canvas and its natural versatility allows everyone’s palates to fine tune the fixings.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Niçoise olives (pitted)
• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives (pitted)
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ cup basil
• 1 Tablespoon capers
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ cup olive oil

Add all of the above ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until well blended. Serve with baguette slices.