Tangy goat cheese makes a perfect salad dressing for wax beans (haricots verts work well here, too). To balance the creamy cheese, I toss the sweet tomatoes with a bright, acidic vinaigrette. Together, they make an amazing summer salad.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　12 ounces yellow cherry or pear tomatoes, halved

　　1 small shallot, very thinly sliced

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 fresh Thai chile, minced

　　1/3 cup red wine vinegar

　　1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

　　12 ounces wax beans, trimmed

　　6 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened

　　2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

　　12 fresh basil leaves

　　

Step 1

Season the tomatoes and shallot with salt, then toss with the chile, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Let stand for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Generously season the boiling water with salt and then add the beans. Cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, transfer to the ice water, and drain again when the beans are room temperature. Cut the beans into 2-inch lengths at an angle.

　　

Step 3

Combine the goat cheese, lime juice, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender. Puree until smooth and fluffy. Toss with the beans until well coated.

　　

Step 4

Place the wax beans in serving dishes. Top with the tomato mixture. Grind a little black pepper over the whole salad, then tear the basil leaves over the top. Serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.