Recipe Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food of the World Series, “San Francisco”, by Janet Fletcher (Oxmoor House, 2004).
Warm baked goat cheese on a bed of baby lettuces is one dish that never leaves the Chez Panisse Cafe menu. Although goat cheese is commonplace now, it was a novelty in the early 1980’s when Laura Chenel, a novice Sonoma County cheese maker, approached Chez Panisse proprietor Alice Waters with samples of her fresh goat cheese. Waters immediately placed a standing order, and Chenel has since become one of America’s leading goat cheese producers. The relationship exemplifies Chez Panisse’s longstanding support for local farmers and food producers.
Serve with a light, chilled white wine, such as Chenin Blanc or Fume Blanc.