[Pictured above, marinated octopus with sauce vert.]

One of LA's top French bistros, and a personal French fave, Church & State recently acquired a new chef, Joshua Smith, after culinary hero chef Walter Manzke left the establishment to open his own restaurant. Smith has big shoes to fill and he has been doing a great job maintaining many of Walter's old recipes and adding in a healthy dose of his own fresh fare. On a recently visit I feel in love with deep fried chickpeas, fresh from the farmers market and still encased in their pod. Another standout was a zingy green sauce composed of capers, cornichons (baby pickles), vinegar-soaked shallots plus olive oil and herbs. Smith recommends serving sauce vert atop grilled steak (great for summer barbecues!), fish, chicken, and mixed into roasted veggies. Clearly this is a very versatile component. Best part, sauce vert is super simple to create. Below, Smith's Sauce Vert recipe from Church & State. 

Sauce Vert

3/4 cup fresh parsley 
1/4 cup mixed herbs such was tarragon, basil, chives, marjoram, finely chopped
3/8 minced cornichons
1/2 cup brunoise Shallots, soaked in Banyuls Vinegar for 10 minutes then strained (vinegar discarded)
1/8 cup minced capers
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

Combine the parsley, herbs, cornichons, shallots and capers and oil in medium bowl. Add the garlic and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, and then remove from refrigerator 10 minutes prior to serving to allow olive oil to liquefy. Stir gently and apply liberally over grilled meats, poultry, fish or vegetables.

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