To celebrate our son and daughter-in-law's first wedding anniversary we snuck into their apartment and took over their kitchen to make them a classic French dinner, inspired by Food and Wine Magazine’s September 2018 issue.

Food and Wine has always been a favorite of ours. For their 40th Anniversary, the September issue includes their 40 best-ever recipes.

This Baked Goat Cheese Salad, first published in 1990, is unique and impressive. Chef Alice Waters is known for her simple and delicious salads. This one will remain in our go-to file for years to come. We paired it with the crisp Sauvion Sancerre, a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, Loire, France.

Baked Goat Cheese Salad (Food & Wine Magazine)

1 8-oz. goat cheese log (we used an herb rolled log to save the overnight marinating)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for greasing
3 thyme sprigs
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (we used seasoned)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (we used a merlot vinegar)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 cups loosely packed mixed lettuce leaves

Garlic Croutons (we bought toasted baguette rounds from the bakery)

Divide goat cheese into 8 equal portions and shape into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Place goat cheese rounds in a shallow glass dish; drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, and turn to coat completely. Top with thyme sprigs. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. (Since we began with an herb covered log we refrigerated the goat cheese for an hour while preparing the rest of our meal.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together bread crumbs and dried thyme in a small bowl. Remove cheese rounds from oil and coat thoroughly with breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and bubbly. 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, place vinegar in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper; whisk in remaining 1/2 cup oil.
Toss lettuce leaves with vinaigrette to lightly coat. Mound dressed lettuce on each of 4 plates. Top each with warm goat cheese rounds. Serve immediately with croutons.

Chef Paul Bocuse’s Poulet Au Vinaigre, first published in 1980, is a great combination of flavors. The fresh tomatoes and parsley taste garden fresh and the bold vinegar adds a nice punch. We also sautéed broccoli rabe with garlic cloves and boiled up some fresh pasta with vodka sauce. We paired it with chilled Diamarine, a bold Rosé from Provence, France.

Poulet Au Vinaigre (Food & Wine Magazine)

3 Tbsp clarified unsalted butter (we used ghee)
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 3-lb chicken cut into 10 pieces (we used chicken breasts)
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 lb very ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (we used 1 1/4 lbs.)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (we used 3)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat clarified butter and garlic in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the sound of sizzling butter has faded, about 3 minutes. Add chicken pieces, and cook until pieces are lightly browned. 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once after 3 minutes. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Add vinegar, and bring mixture to a brisk boil over medium-high heat; top chicken with tomatoes and parsley. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes, flipping chicken pieces after 7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a baking dish, and keep warm in a preheated oven. (He and She always recommend using a thermometer and cooking to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.)
Using a spoon, skim and discard fat from surface of vinegar mixture in skillet. Continue to cook over low, undisturbed, until reduced by one-third, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove garlic cloves; peel cloves, and mash garlic pulp into the sauce with a wooden spoon until blended. Add salt to taste. Whisk in 2 tablespoons butter until creamy.
Transfer. chicken to a platter; pour sauce over chicken, and serve immediately.