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.
Bûche de Noël
A little oil in this bûche de noel helps keep it pliable even when cool—perfect for rolling the Yule log shape.
BA’s Best Carrot Cake
Our favorite carrot cake recipe gets a crunch from toasted walnuts and a boozy punch from rum-plumped raisins, which are optional but recommended.
Roasted Broccoli
Oven-roasted broccoli is exceptionally versatile. Once you master the basic recipe, you can finish it with any number of sauces or toppings.
Garlicky Bok Choy
This simple bok choy recipe, flavored with shallot, garlic, and soy sauce, is ideal for when you’re short on time and ingredients.
BA’s Best Chocolate Lava Cake
A deep, dark, molten chocolate cake recipe with a liquid chocolate center thanks to a spoonful of ganache, which melts as the cake bakes.
Spaghetti With Tomato and Walnut Pesto
Basil is a mere garnish in this nutty, cheesy, peak-season pesto sauce.
Scallion Pancakes
The secret to layered, flaky, chewy-crunchy Chinese scallion pancakes? It’s all in the roll (and the spin, and the re-roll).
BA's Best Guacamole
This easy guacamole recipe is best made in a Mexican mortar and pestle called a molcajete, but a bowl and a fork works fine. Just don’t rush to get it on the table. It takes a while for the avocado to absorb all the flavors you add to it.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Firm yet tender veg is simply a matter of getting the quantity, time, and temperature right—and this roasted sweet potato recipe has all three.
Butternut Squash Shakshuka
If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet for this shakshuka recipe, just cook everything in a medium skillet and transfer to a 2-quart baking dish before cracking the eggs.
Omelet With Bacon, Mushrooms, and Ricotta
Don’t sweat rolling this into a perfect omelet; just top the cooked eggs with mushrooms and ricotta, and fold like a taco.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio With Lots of Kale
You will think this pasta recipe calls for an absurd amount of kale, but it will shrink a ton when cooked.
Shrimp and Pimiento Cheese Grits
Quaker brand grits work really well in this recipe, and they are distributed very widely. If you can’t find them, use any other white, medium-grind, long-cooking grits.
Rotisserie Chicken Stew with White Beans
If you’re not following our weekly meal plan and not making the Grilled Cheese (though you really should; it’s delightful), which you need wheat bread for, use country loaf or sourdough bread, crusts removed, for optimal breadcrumbs for this chicken stew recipe. Check out step-by-step photos here.
Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches with Apple–Cherry Chutney
You can serve this addictive chutney alongside roasted meat (rotisserie chicken); it’s also good on a sandwich with deli cold cuts.
Crispy Thai Chicken Salad
A half a cup of olive oil may seem like whoa, too much, but that's the key to crisping up the chicken.
Ginger Cashew Chicken Curry
Instead of chicken, this curry recipe is really good with boneless pork chops. Cut into ½" pieces and proceed as written. Check out step-by-step photos here.
Halibut Foil Packs with Chile Butter
Turn this halibut recipe into a dinner bowl by serving the fish and veggies over any warm grains, like rice or barley. Check out step-by-step photos here.
Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono)
It’ll take a couple of hours to make the homemade broth and cook a whole chicken (your house will smell amazing) for this soup recipe. If you’ve had a long day, use 2 quarts store-bought broth and shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken. Whatever method you choose, use the chicken breasts to make this amazing salad with crispy rice. Check out step-by-step photos here.
Herbed Chicken Salad over Crispy Rice
As you’re crisping the rice for this chicken salad recipe, the leeks and carrots may look very dark. Don’t be scared or angry at us; the veggies aren’t burnt, they’re just deeply caramelized and will add lots of flavor to the final dish. Check out step-by-step photos here.