Carla Lalli Music
Food Director Emeritus
Carla spent 10 years working in NYC restaurants and was the first General Manager at Shake Shack before making the leap to food media. Her books include the James Beard Award-winning Where Cooking Begins and That Sounds So Good. Since leaving Bon Appétit in 2020, Carla has increased her online presence via a podcast, cohosted with fellow BA alum Rick Martinez, and YouTube channel. She spends most weekends cooking for friends and family, and packs one helluva school lunch.
Why I Love Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone Even Though I Eat Meat
It's the book our food director pulls off the shelf again and again.
A Classic Applesauce Recipe For When You Want to Feel Like a Kid Again
Eat this on yogurt, pancakes, or warm, straight from the pot.
20 Essential Tips to Make You a Better Cook
From avoiding grease fires to never overcooking fish, this is every cooking tip food director Carla Lalli-Music has to offer.
Bruised Tomato and Bread Soup
This is a perfect recipe to make when you have bought too many tomatoes at the market and they are starting to show their age.
Charred Buttered Plums with Cheese
Plums are summer’s all-stars. You should eat and cook with them only when they are peaking, plentiful, and widely available in many varieties.
Baked Plum Pudding
Feel free to use your favorite kind of plum for this pudding recipe, but we recommend prune plums, which have an almond-shaped body that tapers at the end. They’re on the smaller side, hold up well, and the pit comes off the flesh easily, all of which makes them especially good for baking.
Barley Porridge with Honeyed Plums
Plums have a sweet but brightly acidic flavor, which suits them well as a topping for this savory porridge.
Radicchio and Plum Salad
You can use almost any type of plum in this salad recipe, even hybrid ones like Pluots and Peacotums. If it looks like a plum, it probably acts like a plum too.
Crisp and Crunchy Chicken Salad
If you prefer skinless, boneless thighs, that’s fine too. You will need to add about 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan to start, and your total cook time will be shorter. Change up the crunchy vegetables as you wish—any sturdy veggie that you enjoy eating raw will be equally good.
15-Minute Chicken Paillards
Warm browned cutlet + juicy, crispy, herby things = summer dinner without breaking a sweat.
A Lazy-Morning Eggs Recipe Because Cooking On Vacation Is Secretly the Best
This is the breakfast our food director makes when she's really off the clock.
Summer Eggs in Purgatory
Any type of tomatoes will work, though cherry tomatoes hold their shape well. If what you’ve got is a couple of ripe beefsteaks or Romas, cut them into 1" pieces and carry on.
6 Of Our Favorite Recipes That Just Happen to Be Vegetarian
Food director Carla Lalli Music eats whatever's on her plate—because it's her job! Here's what she eats when she's off the clock.
I Spent An Entire Week Trying to Make Spirulina Taste Good
A food director vs. superfood showdown
You Only Need 1 Bowl to Make This Cherry Upside-Down Cake
A seriously easy upside-down cake: under 10 ingredients, 1 pan, 1 mixing bowl.
This Is the Nut-Free Granola We Want to Wake Up To
Stop spending money on fancy bags of granola and make this recipe instead.