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.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
For this butternut squash soup recipe, you need to toss the squash occasionally while it’s roasting so it doesn’t burn or stick, and to encourage as much caramelization as possible.
Hard Cider Spritz
Instead of lemon juice, you can use fresh grapefruit or orange juice; bourbon is a great sub for rye.
Cranberry-Pear Crumble
A Thanksgiving-worthy dessert that can be baked in your toaster oven? Yes, please!
The New Classic Stuffing
A protein like sausage lends the stuffing those all-important crispy bites, and the fat contributes essential flavor.
The All-American Stuffing
For cornbread stuffing, toasting the dried-out cornbread is essential; this will keep it from falling apart during mixing.
The BLT Oyster Stuffing
Adding oysters and bacon incorporates textural contrasts and bold flavor hits to up the intrigue.
Celery Root Steaks with Tomatillo Salsa Verde
To prevent peeled or cut celery root from browning, submerge it in cold water with the juice of 1 lemon for up to 1 day.
Crunchy Winter-Vegetable Salad
The mix of lettuces and crisp vegetables is up to you (and we recommend a mandoline for slicing).
BA’s Best Apple Cider Doughnuts
These sugared doughnuts are craggy and crunchy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Apple butter (not sauce!) is key to their texture and flavor; look for it alongside jams and jellies in the supermarket, or at farmers’ markets, or make your own.
Achiote Paste
This gorgeous bright red paste is so much better than the store-bought stuff. Rub it on chicken, pork, or fish—it's especially delicious for these tacos al pastor.
Real Pumpkin Spice Latte
If you’re in a hurry, you can use very strong coffee instead of the espresso, and warmed half and half or cream instead of the steamed milk.
Chocolate Halvah and Dark Cherry Concrete
Sesame paste takes the place of hazelnuts in this Nutella-ish concoction. If you don’t want to make the concrete, schmear the chocolate-sesame spread on warm bread and thank us later.
Herbed Fresh Pasta with Market Tomatoes and Peppers
For the best results, use San Marzano plum and mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes if you can find 'em.
Shelled Bean and Swiss Chard Panzanella
Use just one type of bean to ensure even cooking.
Italian Plum and Almond Cake
Though it can be made with other small plums, this cake is the tastiest with the Italian variety—but keep in mind that they are in their peak season only a few weeks a year, in late summer to early fall.
Tex-Mex-Style Beef Enchiladas
These are the beef enchiladas that the entire Bon Appétit Test Kitchen fought each other for. Let’s just say there won’t be leftovers with this recipe.
Chicken Sausage Omelet with Greens and Cheese
Make sure the leftover greens, especially if you’re using kale, are totally softened—you should be able to cut through them easily.
Maple, Pecan, and Sour Cherry Granola Bars
If you want to change up the mix of nuts and seeds in these bars, go for it. Just make sure the total quantity adds up to 3 cups total (you could use sunflower seeds in place of the pumpkin seeds, sesame for flaxseed, peanuts for pecans, etc.).
Ricotta Toast with Pears and Honey
This is also great with maple syrup; you can use any kind of pear or apple, too.