Alex Lau
Staff Photographer Emeritus
Alex Lau is the former staff photographer at Bon Appétit. Born and raised in New York City, Lau moved to San Francisco at the age of 12 until returning to the East Coast to attend Emmerson College in Boston, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Lau is currently represented by 2D Creative Artists. His clients include Boylston Trading Company, Nylon Guys, Esquire, and more. He has shot both food and travel photography for countless cookbooks—and he takes photographs of other things sometimes as well.
Strawberry-Cucumber Ice Pops
Using frozen strawberries ensures a consistent sweetness and vibrant red color.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies for a Crowd
You can use any flavor jam or jelly you like; substitute roasted salted peanuts to play up the salty-sweet angle.
Black-Bottom Brownies
For the neatest, cleanest edges, freeze the brownies for 15 minutes so they’re nice and firm before cutting, and dip your knife in hot water between each slice.
Chocolate Sheet Cake With Crème Fraîche Frosting
Room temperature cream cheese and butter are key to a smooth frosting (cold ingredients will form hard beads). Take them both out of the refrigerator three hours ahead of time.
Lemon Bars for a Crowd
Make sure to get your whisk into the bottom edge of the pan as you prepare the custard so that the mixture cooks evenly.
Cherry-Lime Hand Pies
Despite the egg along the seal, and the crimps for extra insurance, the fruit juices will run; that’s what the parchment paper is there for.
Raspberry-Peach Bellini Ice Pops
Prosecco adds a little bit of a kick to these fruity pops. Avoid the urge to add any more than the recipe calls for—too much alcohol and the pops won’t freeze solid.
Cooked-to-Death Vegetables
We don’t always want to eat vegetables crisp-tender—sometimes our favorites are best when they’re cooked low and slow, until they completely surrender.
Deviled Eggs With Crispy Shallot Gremolata
You can crisp the shallots and hard-boil the eggs a day ahead, but wait until closer to serving time to make the yolk filling.
Passover Chocolate-Toffee Matzo
Feel free to riff on this recipe and use any toasted nut or topping you like—try swapping in puffed rice, pecans, or dried currants.
Chocolate Éclairs
The éclairs will begin to get soggy as soon as they are filled, so be sure to wait until just before you're ready to make the chocolate fondant to add the pastry cream.
Cream Puffs with Vanilla Pastry Cream
For this cream puffs recipe, if you don’t have any pastry bags handy, cut off the tops with a serrated knife and carefully spoon in the pastry cream.
Chouquettes with Chantilly Cream
When properly baked, the puffs should have a firm but not crusty exterior, and a moist but airy center.
Guinness Affogato
The recipe doesn’t say to add a shot of Baileys, but we have a feeling you wouldn’t regret doing so.
Ginger-Chocolate Guinness Float
The recipe doesn’t say to add a shot of Baileys, but we have a feeling you wouldn’t regret doing so.
Chocolate Guinness Float
The recipe doesn’t say to add a shot of Baileys, but we have a feeling you wouldn’t regret doing so.
BA's Best Slow-Cooker Beef Chili
The only slow cooker chili recipe you need. This recipe can also be easily doubled.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasting brings out the sweetness of canned tomatoes, but this method works with fresh tomatoes, too. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.
Potato-Leek Soup With Toasted Nuts and Seeds
For a beautiful creamy-white (not khaki) color, don’t let the leeks and celery take on any color when sautéing.
Spinach-Broccoli Soup With Garlic and Cilantro
Blanching the spinach before blending helps this broccoli soup recipe retain a vibrant green color. Parsley would work in place of the cilantro.