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.
May 1
A birthday request
Haven’t you heard? Cupcakes are back. Senior Test Kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic just dropped three new modern entries into the genre: cookie butter banana, lamington, earl grey–chocolate with blackberry frosting. Drool. And what perfect timing for me. When I asked my friend what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she didn’t skip a beat; “Anything earl grey.” She did specifically request a 9-inch round crowned with the tangy frosting, but next time? It’s cupcakes, no question. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Tender, moist chocolate cupcakes stained with Earl Grey tea and topped with a brilliant magenta frosting made from fresh blackberries.
Bok choy for days
In my household, we’re obsessed with our monthly Weee! order. We usually prioritize kimchi, dumplings and noodle soup bases, with a vegetable or two thrown in. At the grocery store, you might opt for one or two heads of baby bok choy, but Weee! sends them in mass, which means we’re eating the veg every other night for a week straight. This recipe for Sheet-Pan Scallion Chicken With Bok Choy is an easy way to blow through the haul. The chicken pan juices imbue the tender stalks with wonderful savory oomph. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
Blistered green beans, my way
I have made so much progress with getting my kids to try new foods, but vegetables remain hit or miss. For years I played it safe, thinking that the simplest preparations, like steamed broccoli, blanched green beans, or just straight-up raw carrot sticks were least likely to cause offense. But now the gloves are off. If you aren’t going to eat my vegetables anyway, there’s no sense in holding back. Case in point: my recipe for Blistered Green Beans With Garlic, featuring gloriously shriveled, chewy-tender pods. Lightly coated with oil and tossed occasionally in a searing hot skillet or wok, even tough beans turn silky, and ready to coat in a finishing blast of chiles. Unlike a barely-cooked green bean that feels like work to crunch your way through, this approach turns them supple and easy to eat (or not) by the forkful. —Chris Morocco, food director
Green beans are shriveled and browned into delicious submission before receiving a flavor bomb of garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped capers.
Cookbook club banana bread
My cookbook club chose Nargisse Benkabbou’s Madaq for this month’s gathering. After sampling a few recipes while my colleague Nina Moskowitz was reviewing the book, I couldn’t wait to dive back in. After a feast of harissa beans on toast, crispy chicken thighs with chickpeas, freshly made cheese, tender potatoes strewn with onions, and a spicy Caesar that kept us going back for thirds, I sliced my contribution: Ras el Hanout Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. The technique is dead simple (all by hand) and takes a delightfully heavy hand with spices. Each bite is perfumed with heady cinnamon, floral vanilla, and earthy ras el hanout. Benkabbou offers a recipe for her own “top of the shop” blend but you can swap in a store-bought mix for ease. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor
Golden mushroom soup
I would not call myself an orzo person. But Alison Roman’s recipe for Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo and a Pat of Butter called to me. I wanted the turmeric-glowing, mushroom-bolstered, fish-sauce-spiked broth. I wanted that pat of butter. It was slurpably good, with a deep umami and just enough richness for a brisk spring night. Though it supposedly serves four, my husband and I emptied the pot ourselves. Now I just have to figure out what to make with the rest of the orzo. Broccoli Cheddar Orzotto? Spring Orzotto? One-Pot Orzo With Chickpeas? Choices, choices, choices! —Emma Laperruque, cooking director
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.
