Recipes & Food Styling

And Herbal Luncheon Inspired 30 Years Ago at A Magical Place Called “Caprilands Herb Farm!” 

Remembering culinary genius Adelma Simmons.

“Summer on a plate!” I love this time of year when those wonderfully delicate and oh-so-flavorful blooms of cilantro, chives, lemon basil, lemon thyme, dill and more fresh garden herbs are right outside the back door!

In the early 90s, my mom taught me about showcasing herbs and edible flowers in salads. She’d learned about them from author and Caprilands Herb Farm Founder Adelma Simmons. Adelma is a legendary herb expert and so much of what I know about food comes from her! Mom talked constantly about how, during a visit to her farm in Coventry, Connecticut, she was amazed to see Adelma vigorously watering her herbs using a hose in a seemingly haphazard way. Mom was amazed to see how resilient herbs are. Mom talked all the time about Adelma and the wonderful herbal lunch that she enjoyed at Caprilands.

The crowning jewel of Adelma’s herbal lunch was a salad as big as your head and loaded on top with pansies, nasturtiums and a whole rainbow of other flowers. “It was the most colorful salad I’ve ever seen!” Mom said. She spent the rest of her life making similar salads with edible flowers and other herbs from her garden- just like Adelma had showed her. These days, nasturtiums and other “edibles” are as common as spinach in a salad, but long before the Food Network, I learned the importance of seeking out inspiration in others and learning from them and that is so key to making it your BEST life possible! 

Flowering Herb Salad with Lemon Thyme Chicken and Crispy Shallots

3 tablespoons butter

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons pink Himalayan sea salt

4 lemons

3 shallots

1 large box of fresh spring greens 

Flowering blooms of cilantro, chives, lemon basil, lemon thyme, dill and more fresh garden herbs.

Butter a pie plate and cover bottom of pie plate with 6 thick lemon slices. Salt and pepper all sides of chicken breasts. Arrange chicken breasts on top of lemons. Arrange shallots around edges of chicken breasts. Cover with lemon slices and 8 small pats of butter. Top with herbs, mostly lemon thyme. 

Bake in oven, uncovered, at 375 degrees until cooked all the way through (about 40 minutes). 

Clean and rinse spring greens and herbs. When chicken is baked completely, remove from oven and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Use a serrated knife to slice the chicken. Place chicken slices on top of spring greens. Arrange flowering herbs and crispy shallots around sliced chicken.