With all of the recent press celebrating Alice Waters and her recipes from the past 40 years, I was inspired – in “Julie & Julia” fashion – to create some of her signature dishes. Pulling from the San Francisco Chronicle Decade 2 recipes, a delicious Baked Goat Cheese With Garden Lettuces served as a combination salad and cheese course. Goat cheese disks soaked up extra virgin olive along with fresh thyme and rosemary from the garden, then rolled in bread crumbs made from a whole wheat walnut sourdough baguette. These were baked and placed on a bed of arugula, dressed with sherry and red wine vinegars and oil. A “Thyme In” feature from the Wall Street Journal captured my attention with a Chicken with Garlic Purée and Zucchini Salad recipe. Raw summer squash from the Fillmore Farmers Market came alive in a marinade of Meyer lemon juice, basil and parsley. The savory roasted garlic purée electrified succulent grilled chicken breasts accented with sage, oregano and thyme. A perfect wine pairing was found with Husch Vineyards Mendocino Chardonnay made from sustainably grown grapes. A toast to Alice and her legacy of fresh, simple food!
