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It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.
August 29
I’ve been harboring a desire to make senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Chocolate Sheet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting for some time. Everyone on staff knows and loves this cake, and I needed to get on board. Sadly, I’ve hesitated to make it for the simple (and totally solvable) reason that I never have dry milk powder at home. That changed last week when I finally got around to buying a bag. I was gleefully rewarded with what turned out to be one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. The cake itself comes together in a flash (and with a whisk, no mixer needed). But the frosting was the real reason I was baking, and I wasn’t disappointed. Toasting the dry milk powder to a beautiful auburn color is a brilliant technique on Shilpa’s part and imbues the frosting with incredible flavor. The friends I made this for were delighted and left begging for the recipe. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager, audience strategy
I am obsessed with corn—I blame growing up in the Midwest. I could never get enough of the Minnesota State Fair’s fire-roasted corn (blanketed in butter!). So when social media creator Nasim Lahbichi came out with a recipe for shrimp and corn coconut curry, I knew I needed to make it. I had some lemongrass leftover from making my own curry paste a couple weeks ago, and this dish was a great way to use it up. You start by blending corn kernels with coconut milk before simmering that mixture with cobs to create a luscious broth. The shrimp get marinated in lemongrass, garlic, chile flakes, salt, and a splash of oil before they’re seared and then thrown into the broth. What you get is perfectly tender shrimp in a bath of sweet-slightly tangy curry, best served over rice. —Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media
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The nice thing about developing recipes for a living is you have an encyclopedia of them to turn to in times of need. I recently worked on this Crispy Salmon with Avocado Sauce. The sauce is based on one of my favorites, the pale green guasacaca that comes in way-too-tiny plastic cups alongside an order of arepas. This week I made a batch of the sauce and instead of salmon, my husband cooked two pork chops. We spooned the sauce on the bottom of a silver platter, shingled the pork on top, and scattered over a cup’s worth of halved cherry tomatoes for a weeknight dinner that felt special but was incredibly quick to make. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior test kitchen editor
For my birthday this week, I was committed to grilling—even after my friend’s propane ran out and we had to pivot to charcoal. The star of the spread was Yia Vang’s Tri-Tip With Tiger Bite Sauce from Union Hmong Kitchen. I’d been saving a bag of Sichuan peppercorns from Fly By Jing, and they were perfect in the marinade of spices, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. But the real magic was the tiger bite sauce: charred-until-bursting Sun Gold tomatoes, Thai chiles, shallots, cilantro, and lime. Served with farmers market veggies that were lathered with a lemongrass-laced Thai creamed butter from Nat Thaipun’s new cookbook Thai, it was a tongue-tingling, unforgettable birthday meal. —Olivia Tarantino, senior commerce editor
Senior test kitchen editor Jesse Sczewczyk’s Quick Butter-Braised Tomatoes and Dumplings is everything I dream of on a weeknight: It uses one pan, mostly relies on pantry or freezer staples, and features one in-season element (tomatoes) to feel fresh. It’s the perfect formula. I tapped my favorite frozen gyoza, Laoban’s “Livin’ on the Vedge” and they cooked up juicy in the buttery sauce alongside a mix of tiny cherry tomatoes and chunky wedges of a few larger heirlooms. Jesse calls the simmer a “summery sauna,” and I can’t help but agree. The aroma that perfumes your kitchen when you lift the lid and top the dish with a pile of fresh herbs is as invigorating as a session at the spa. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
August 22
Around this time of year, my body is about 80% tomato with foods like BLTs, pastas, and salads. My latest obsession is a meal I’ve made every day for the past four days, and I’m still craving more. It’s the tomato-egg stir-fry from former Bon Appétit staffer Karen Yuan. I combine this recipe with one I found on TikTok from creator Cassie Yeung, which uses a glug of oyster sauce, white pepper, and sesame oil. The last time I did this, I added a little pinch of MSG which delivered a bold, umami flavor. It’s great for breakfast, but it’s also a lovely dinner that I can throw together quickly right after getting home. —Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media
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I’ve been on a real pork belly kick lately. More often than not, I tackle it thinly sliced for convenience—tossed in a kimchi hotpot, or wok-fried with fresh garlic scapes. I wouldn’t normally incorporate a whole block of pork belly into weeknight dinner, but the approachability of Hawaiian chef Sheldon Simeon’s spin on dinakdakan drew my attention. I was craving the Filipino vinegary-chili profile this dish offered, and I already had most of the listed ingredients on hand—no pig head needed, though I am a lover of cartilaginous-crunchy. I opted to throw in some tiger-skin peppers alongside the shishito for an added hit of spice, and wilted the onions a touch before mixing. Topped with cilantro for freshness and served with jasmine rice, this crispy yet tender pork got bodied in minutes. —Ingu Chen, art director
I’m always happier cooking outside. Live fire, charcoal, gas—you name it, I’m into it. I love the direct contact with heat, the finesse required to tame the flames, and the way food transforms when grilled or smoked. This past Sunday, I made my go-to salmon that I’ve been working to perfect on the grill (and I’ll report, I nailed it). But my stellar salmon wasn't the star. How could it be when grilled brownies were also on the menu? I must confess, these weren’t from-scratch grilled brownies. (I have an 18-month-old, and it was rainy, so I used a Ghiradelli box mix.) If you find the brand's Double Chocolate box too sweet, try the dark chocolate version. One bowl, an egg, a splash of water, and a ¼ cup of avocado oil later, and my brownie batter was in a parchment-lined foil pan and baking in indirect heat on my gas grill. Life is grand. —Hali Bey Ramdene, content director
Once word gets around how delicious the combination of grated summer tomato and peanut butter is, PB&J will no longer be the ultimate couple. This technique comes from these cold noodles; the sauce combines grated beefsteaks with peanut butter, soy sauce, chili crisp, and vinegar (though I like to swap in a little lime juice). From there I just boil whatever noodles I’ve got on hand, then chill them under cold running water and toss, toss, toss. If you want to bulk up your noodles, nestle in some leftover grilled salmon or shredded rotisserie chicken. I added some smashed cucumbers, plus crunchy store-bought fried onions, fresh scallions, and a soft-boiled egg. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, cooking and SEO
August 15
“Do you gals want some refreshing cross-tested zaru soba?” From our deputy food editor Hana Asbrink, this is the sort of Slack message I dream of. I am a sucker for a cold noodle. Last summer I made test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin’s Soy Milk Noodles With Chili Crisp dozens of times. And now I have Hana’s pristine soba to add to my rotation. If you have yet to cross paths with this classic Japanese dish, refreshing is an understatement. Slick buckwheat noodles, a few-ingredient ultra-umami broth on ice, and minimalist toppings (Hana opts for nori, scallion, wasabi, and grated daikon—I swapped in a red radish in a pinch). Heaven! I can’t imagine a better dinner on a humid day. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
I’ve had my eyes on these grilled arayes ever since the recipe was published. Looking for any excuse to make them, I sent out a mass text to friends: “firing up the grill, bring whatever veg you want cooked” to accompany said meat pockets. I could not find a baharat blend at my local grocery store, so instead I combined black pepper, cardamom, paprika, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, and coriander—warming spices that immediately wafted through my kitchen. This got sprinkled into ground beef, shallots, and garlic, before I stuffed the mixture in pitas. Once they hit the grill, the arayes got crispy, yet maintained a juicy interior. I skipped the cucumber salad and instead made tzatziki for dipping, and filled my plate with grilled farmer’s market zucchini, purple-yellow ombré peppers, and sweet corn. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Emboldened by my successful run with homemade focaccia last month, I set out to make my first BA Bake Club recipe this week. As a jalapeño-cheese bagel enthusiast, senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk’s latest beginner-friendly bread was calling my name. I used mild, smoky shishito peppers and sharp white cheddar as my mix-ins. The cheddar chunks condensed into melty bits of gold, creating extra air pockets in the dough that made for a light loaf. The few cheesy bits that stuck out of the dough before baking bubbled and crisped over, adding extra textural intrigue to the already crispy crust. —Arietta Hallock, editorial intern
In my home, Tomato Week never really ended. And despite what may or may not be my developing allergy to nightshades, I’m still stocking my kitchen with summer tomatoes, tingling tongue be damned. Recently, I’ve been all about these creamy, garlicky Turkish-style eggs and tomatoes, and explosively tangy aguachile served over grilled fish. Eggplants may be lost to the allergy, but I’ll never give up tomatoes. —Joseph Hernandez, associate director of drinks & lifestyle
I’ve been very into grilling for meal prep on Sunday nights. It couldn’t be easier to throw a ton of veggies on the grill with some marinated chicken thighs and voila—we have dinner that night, plus lunch for the next few days. I had some leftover coconut milk in the fridge, so I made Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken Thighs. What’s nice about this recipe is that you can marinate the chicken for just 15 minutes and it’ll still be packed with so much punchy flavor. Balanced perfectly with zucchini, graffiti eggplant, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers, this dinner (and the bonus lunches) could not be beat. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
August 8
My summer squash saga continued this week with another delivery of my neighbor’s CSA zucchini. Unsure of how to keep up, I grated and folded this haul into a double batch of senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Walnuts are listed as optional in this recipe, but in my household, they’re mandatory. The extra step of toasting them took the nutty, subtly sweet flavor to another level. I generously sprinkled the loaves with demerara sugar before placing them in the oven, and each emerged with a crispy, crackly top to counter the soft interior. —Arietta Hallock, editorial intern
I’m typically not a salad person; rather, I’m not a huge fan of lettuce-based salads. They leave me feeling unsatisfied, and don’t go limp in the fridge after they touch dressing. But when I saw this Chopped Southwest Black Bean Salad from Jenn Eats Goood, I knew I wanted to make it. Instead of lettuce, the recipe leans on veg that will sit well, even when dressed, in the fridge: purple cabbage, corn, and bell peppers. This means I can meal-prep and enjoy it for lunch all week long. I love to eat it with tortilla chips, which adds a salty, crunchy bite. —Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media
In the Philippines you’ll hear the vendors long before you see them. “Ta-hooooo,” they bellow, as they traipse up the beach. Tucked into their tin pots is a slightly sweet tofu pudding that’s layered à la minute with sago boba and a brown sugar syrup. Though it’s typically thought of as a dessert or snack, I’ve been making a version of it for breakfast all summer long. I borrowed the method from cookbook author Arlyn Osborne’s Sugarcane and it couldn’t be easier: blend silken tofu with sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Cook black pearl tapioca according to the package directions and prep whatever fruit you want to have with it. I’ve used sour cherries, peaches, and most recently a mix of the juiciest blackberries, white raspberries, and nectaries. I’ve also flavored the pudding with ube and pandan extracts, as well as citrus zest. The base will keep for several days in the fridge, so you can build a glass each morning just how you like. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, cooking and SEO
After years and years of coffee, I’m newly exploring the vast world of matcha. No, I’m not switching over completely—I’m still loyal to espresso—but I’ve started reading up on ways to enjoy the pleasantly grassy powdered green tea. My latest obsession is this Iced Strawberry Matcha from Bon Appétit alum Zaynab Issa. You blend freeze-dried strawberries with sugar, water, vanilla, and salt, for a concentrated, syrupy sauce. Layered with frothed milky, matcha, and a few glittering ice cubes, it’s just as striking as it is tasty. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
The moment I saw this recipe drop last September, I knew I had to add it to my cooking wishlist (I mean, look at that photo!). I gravitate toward salmon as a weeknight protein. I’m always looking for novel ways to cook with it to shake up my “toss on a sheet pan”-routine. This one offered up an intriguing method: Poach the fish in a fragrant liquid perfumed by garlic, ginger, soy sauce, butter, and sesame oil. Halved tomatoes burst in the saucy mixture as the fish gently cooks. It’s just about as one-and-done as a recipe gets, but no less complex in flavor. —Li Goldstein, associate newsletter editor
August 1
One of my favorite moves in the kitchen is crisping up shelf-stable gnocchi and serving it in a simple sauce, like in this Crispy Gnocchi With Sausage and Peas or this sheet-pan style one. This weekend, on side dish duty for family dinner with my girlfriend’s parents, I made the bright and acidic Crispy Gnocchi Caprese from Alexis deBoschnek’s latest cookbook, Nights and Weekends. The dish had a pleasant heat from the jarred roasted peppers, which complemented the fresh mozzarella and packed delicious summer flavor into every bite. —Alma Avalle, editorial operations associate
Zucchini is everywhere right now. I’ve put pounds of it in pasta and baked a chocolate-zucchini bread, but the recipe I keep coming back to is this one for zucchini fries by my colleague, Nina Moskowitz. Nina recently added instructions to cook them in an air fryer and praise be—it’s more hands-off than the original shallow-fry but still audibly crisp. Finely grated Parmesan is used in the breading and as the fries cook, the cheese melts and binds with the breadcrumbs to form a sturdy jacket around the squash. I usually forgo the yogurt dip (sorry, Nina! it’s not you, it’s me) because really, I’m just here for the zucchini. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior test kitchen editor
Few ingredients get me as excited as Sun Gold tomatoes. They’re sweet enough to eat by the handful, but this week I opted instead to use them in senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk’s Sun Gold Tomato Pasta With Pistachio Gremolata (featured in our Tomato Week). The yellow sauce is seasoned with sliced garlic, and the finished dish is topped with a striking pistachio gremolata. It hits all the flavor and textural notes I dream about in restaurant-caliber pasta: creamy, crunchy, acidic, bright, and deeply savory. And if you happen to have a few tomatoes left over, treat yourself to Jesse’s Tomato Martini. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager audience strategy
When I’m craving comfort food during the swampiest days of summer, I turn to low-cook meals like senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Sheet-Pan Pierogies and Beets. (Is there anything as soothing as a mashed-potato-stuffed pocket of dough? I think not.) The recipe comes together with two store-bought standbys: frozen cheddar and potato pierogies and tender, precooked beets. They both pick up color and a crisp-chewy texture cooking on the same sheet pan. Then you whisk together a simple poppy seed and mustard dressing and swoosh some sour cream on your plate before assembling. This past week I used my toaster oven to avoid turning on the big oven and was rewarded with salty golden carbs paired with a real vegetable and an elevated sauce, all without breaking a sweat. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
My neighbor’s CSA subscription box has been extra generous this season. So much so that she’s been leaving brown paper bags of excess produce at our door. This week’s offering was a bounty of yellow zucchini—more than enough to make this Lemony Zucchini With Sour Cream and Dill. The citrus-marinated pan-seared squash was crispy, not soggy, atop a bed of cooling garlicky sour cream. Sprinkled generously with fresh dill, it was the very image of summer. —Arietta Hallock, editorial intern
