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.
Sweet Corn and Ricotta Raviolo
These are jumbo-sized ravioli, and each one envelops an egg yolk, which will run when you cut the pasta open and mingle with the pan sauce. Duh-lish!
Butternut Squash Agnolotti
Agnolotti is one of our favorite pasta shapes because the little pockets catch the sauce; try a variation with a simple ricotta filling and marinara sauce instead. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make agnolotti.
Stir-Fried Kohlrabi with Bacon and Scallions
As long as the kohlrabi's greens are fresh-looking and not wilted, you can eat them. They can be sauteéd just like spinach.
Shaved Kohlrabi with Mint, Tahini, and Pistachios
Kohlrabi "bulbs" fall somewhere between the size of golf balls and softballs. The smaller they are, the sweeter they are, which is desirable for this recipe since you're serving them raw.
Fried Herb Salsa Verde
This all-star topper can gussy up anything: steak, roasted potatoes—even a citrus salad.
Chicken Chorizo Chili
Not a big fan of chorizo? This chili recipe can also be made with chicken, turkey, or Italian sweet or spicy sausage.
Cheddar–Walnut Scones
You can use only all-purpose flour for this scones recipe if you’d like, but going 50/50 with whole wheat produces a nice nuttiness that complements the cheese and walnuts.
Apple Butter
What to do with that overzealous orchard haul? Homemade apple butter is the answer.
Best Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
If you’re into chewier oatmeal-raisin cookies, reduce baking time by 2 minutes. For crispier, flatten them out a bit before baking.
Creamsicle-Inspired Orange Pops
For this updated creamsicle-inspired recipe, we swapped the icy orange layer for a creamy citrus curd and paired it with alternating layers of a sweet-tart frozen yogurt.
Fudgsicle-Inspired Ice Pops
This delicious 'fudgsicle' recipe basically produces really fudgy chocolate ice cream...on a stick.
Vanilla Cashew Vegan Ice Cream
It’s important to use refined coconut oil here; you don’t want any coconut-y flavors competing with the vanilla.
Coffee Soy Vegan Ice Cream
Take this to a mocha chip place by folding in some finely grated vegan chocolate as soon as you take it out of the ice cream machine.
Vanilla Soy Vegan Ice Cream
Vegan, yes. Low-fat? No. Ah, maybe that’s why it’s so good!
Chocolate Cashew Vegan Ice Cream
Using soy lecithin-free chocolate is essential; the additive will cause the base to separate (we learned this the hard way). We developed this recipe using Alter Eco Dark Blackout Chocolate.
Chocolate Soy Vegan Ice Cream
Using soy lecithin-free chocolate is essential; the additive will cause the base to separate (we learned this the hard way). We developed this recipe using Alter Eco Dark Blackout Chocolate.
Coffee Cashew Vegan Ice Cream
For an even deeper, nutty flavor, toast the cashews first (or buy them that way, but make sure they’re unsalted). Skeptical? Think hazelnut coffee, but with cashews instead.
Salted Butterscotch
Like your desserts extra-salted? Just keep adding more and tasting the butterscotch until you reach your personal sweet-salty threshold.