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Alex Lau head shot - Bon Appétit

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

Chestnut Mousse

The gelatin in the mousse stabilizes it, so you can make and fill the roll a day ahead without worrying about it weeping or deflating.

Recipes

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe

Don’t strive for perfection with these. The more irregular and off-kilter they are, the more realistic they look.

Recipes

Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

Two things can go wrong with buttercream: the mixture will curdle if it gets too cold; and it will sink if it gets too warm. Just keep beating—it’ll all come together.

Recipes

Espresso Old Fashioned

At Everyman Espresso, they serve this sans alcohol, but feel free to add a splash of brown before stirring.

Recipes

Rustic Pork Rillette

The effort-to-impressiveness ratio doesn’t get much better than this, people. Go ahead and double (Triple! Quadruple!) this recipe and you’ve got hostess gifts, emergency entertaining fodder, and quick, decadent snacks for days.

Recipes

Mole Amarillo

You can substitute ancho chiles for the chilhuacle amarillo chiles and the chilcostle chiles in this mole, but for authentic color and flavor, order these hard to find chiles from spicetrekkers.com.

Recipes

Mole Verde

There are no dried chiles in this green mole; it boasts bright, fresh flavors instead.

Recipes

Mole Negro

Chilhuacle negro chiles give this mole its traditional flavor and should not be substituted. They’re difficult to find in the U.S., but you can find them—and the other chiles you’ll need—at spicetrekkers.com.

Recipes

Holiday Rum Sparkler

You’ll have enough honey syrup that you can easily scale up this cocktail for a crowd. Created in partnership with Chef Watson.

Recipes

Tempura Green Beans with Mushroom Salt and Shallot Dip

When you get right down to it, very few people actually really and truly want a green bean casserole. Lacy fried green beans with an addictive shallot dip? That’s another story, and a great way to use up any leftover beans.

Recipes

Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding

So easy a kid could do it. No, really, let your kid do it.

Recipes

Olive Oil Cake with Raisin Marmellata and Crème Fraîche

This could be sweet and mild or more savory, depending on the olive oil you use. It’s all good.

Recipes

Celery Caesar Salad

Look for celery root that is firm—not spongy—at the bottom end.

Recipes

Turkey Ramen

Use your leftover turkey carcass to make the stock, and then use it in this riff on classic Japanese ramen.

Recipes

Thanksgiving Butterball with Spicy Honey

If you like it hot, this one's for you. Adjust the heat to your liking, or use another finely ground chile in place of the cayenne.

Recipes

Thanksgiving Butterball with Chai Spice

Warm spices without the sweetness work on biscuits and rolls, mashed potatoes or green beans.

Recipes

Thanksgiving Butterball with Salt and Maple

This is especially good on tomorrow's cinnamon toast.

Recipes

Thanksgiving Butterball with Lemon and Pepper

The zest cuts through the richness of the butter (and the rest of the Thanksgiving meal). Try this one tossed with roasted vegetables—your green beans, your brussels sprouts–just before serving.

Recipes

Stuffing Cookies

We were inspired to use traditional stuffing flavors in a sweet and savory shortbread with sage and anise. Put these out next to the pumpkin pie.

Recipes

Spaghetti Squash and Avocado Chicken Salad

Spaghetti squash is really more like a rice noodle then spaghetti, so we riffed on a cold noodle salad. This would be great with leftover sliced steak or pork, too.