Figs with Goat Cheese and Sweet Herbs

We get amazing bread from Alex at Fire Swamp Provisions, along with incredible Genovese basil, Early Girl tomatoes, and Painted Serpent cucumbers from Full Belly Farms at the Thursday Marin Market during the summer. We use these fresh ingredients to create this salad every Friday. The key to this recipe is sourcing the best bread and vegetables available in your area; with a simple recipe like this, quality ingredients make all the difference. We toast the bread, let the tomatoes and basil marinate the cucumbers, and toss everything together with a vinaigrette just before serving. The varied textures—from crispy to almost soggy bread—add an extra layer of delight to the dish.

We serve this salad cold on warm days and at room temperature on normal days. It's filled with crunch from the bean sprouts, sweetness from the snow peas, and heartiness from the edamame. It's simple and can be dressed up with extra ingredients if you have them on hand. Add some mint to pair with the sweetness, bell pepper for a splash of color, or even rice noodles and more dressing to make it an entrée. Try it at its most basic first and have fun from there.

In the heat of summer when the peaches are great this is a nice departure from a caprese salad. We change it from Basil, Tomato and Mozzarella to Mint, Peach and Tofu. Balsamic, olive oil black pepper and flaky salt is the only addition it needs. If you are not comfortable charring the peaches it is great as is, but adding that smoky char to it really makes the dish.