Alex Lau

Staff Photographer Emeritus

Alex Lau is a freelance photographer based in New York City. Originally from Queens, New York, Alex moved to San Francisco when he was 12 before returning to the East Coast to attend a journalism program at Emerson College. A true muti-hyphenate, Alex has at times studied jazz, trained in competitive swimming and weight lifting, and worked as a celebrity dog-sitter. It was by chance, after a Hail Mary application for a summer internship to work with Bon Appétit’s visuals team, that Alex solidified food photography as his primary source of interest.

He followed that internship with one at Boston Magazine, working as a digital writer and photographer. Upon returning to New York, he was offered staff roles at both Food & Wine and BA, and we eventually welcomed him back as our new staff photographer. Alex left BA in 2020 to pursue a broader scope of projects; check out his most recent work at 2dcreative.com.

Recipes

Black-Bottom Brownies

For the neatest, cleanest edges, freeze the brownies for 15 minutes so they’re nice and firm before cutting, and dip your knife in hot water between each slice.

Recipes

Chocolate Sheet Cake With Crème Fraîche Frosting

Room temperature cream cheese and butter are key to a smooth frosting (cold ingredients will form hard beads). Take them both out of the refrigerator three hours ahead of time.

Recipes

Lemon Bars for a Crowd

Make sure to get your whisk into the bottom edge of the pan as you prepare the custard so that the mixture cooks evenly.

Recipes

Cherry-Lime Hand Pies

Despite the egg along the seal, and the crimps for extra insurance, the fruit juices will run; that’s what the parchment paper is there for.

Recipes

Raspberry-Peach Bellini Ice Pops

Prosecco adds a little bit of a kick to these fruity pops. Avoid the urge to add any more than the recipe calls for—too much alcohol and the pops won’t freeze solid.

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Culture

April Bloomfield Made Us an All-Vegetable Dinner, and We Didn't Miss a Bit of Meat

When April Bloomfield cooks dinner, you bet there will be vegetables. Here's how the "A Girl and Her Greens" author turns veg into the main event.

Recipes

Cooked-to-Death Vegetables

We don’t always want to eat vegetables crisp-tender—sometimes our favorites are best when they’re cooked low and slow, until they completely surrender.

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How Ike Barinholtz of 'The Mindy Project' Ate His Way Through Las Vegas in One Big Fat Weekend

When Ike Barinholtz attempts to eat his way through Las Vegas, photographic evidence is mandatory.

We Challenged "The Mindy Project's" Ike Barinholtz to a Weekend of Nonstop Eating and Drinking in Las Vegas

Everyone wants to be a food critic, right? Well, we challenged Ike Barinholtz from The Mindy Project to spend a weekend eating like one in Vegas. Here's his story of survival.

Recipes

Deviled Eggs With Crispy Shallot Gremolata

You can crisp the shallots and hard-boil the eggs a day ahead, but wait until closer to serving time to make the yolk filling.

Recipes

Passover Chocolate-Toffee Matzo

Feel free to riff on this recipe and use any toasted nut or topping you like—try swapping in puffed rice, pecans, or dried currants.

Recipes

Carole Lalli's Chocolate Bread Pudding

Many bakeries sell chocolate bread, but you can always substitute with a marbled type (such as chocolate babka) instead.

Culture

The Weekend Cocktail We Could All Use Right Now

Our favorite reader-requested cocktail is a refreshing, drinkable spin on one of our favorite salads.

Recipes

Lemon-Lavender Pound Cake

Look for culinary lavender at specialty food stores, tea and spice shops, or online.

Cooking

The One-Pot Lentil Soup That's Perfect for the First Chilly Days of Spring

Today, you requested a soup recipe with beans. We think you're gonna like this one-hour, one-pot meal.

Recipes

BA’s Best Hash Browns

There are two kinds of hash browns: The chunky, floury, vaguely brown but not crisp kind, and the lacy, crunchy, shredded version here. Guess which one we prefer? This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Cooking

Get Your Much-Needed Fruit Fix with Apple-Raspberry Crumb Bars

These gooey-but-crumbly bars strike the perfect balance between comforting and spring-y. Here's how to nail 'em.

Recipes

Lentil Croquettes With Watercress and Kefir

One of many cool things about (super-nutritious) sprouted lentils: They don’t need to be cooked first.

Recipes

Ham and Pea Hand Pies

These mini tarts are double sealed for extra insurance.

Recipes

Miso Doughnuts

Miso sugar: also excellent on popcorn or in place of brown sugar in barbecue dry-rub recipes.