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.
September 5
Gluten-free brownies
I am impressed by anyone who manages to cook dinner and make dessert for the same meal, and frankly, I do everything I can not to. If you are coming over, chances are I am serving dinner, with dessert little more than culinary sleight of hand: some fruit with whipped cream, or ice cream with a 2-minute hot fudge that distracts you from the fact that I barely tried. (I am convinced that s’mores were invented by a tired parent just trying to get their kids out of the house even if it meant letting them play with fire.) There is one dessert, though, that represents an ideal balance of effort and reward, even if you are throwing it together at the last minute. Tahini Brownies check virtually every box: fudgy, rich, gluten-free, and swirled with nutty tahini for extra complexity. They are fully makeable in about an hour (and they go great with ice cream and hot fudge as well). Then again, if you are coming over and want to bring dessert, I won’t stop you. Especially if you feel like making some brownies. —Chris Morocco, food director
Late-summer eggplant
I’m already cozying up to autumn in my mind. I’m ready for light jackets, real shoes, and hot coffee, but the market keeps reminding me that it’s definitely still summer. On the bright side, that means there’s still plenty of time to make test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin’s Japanese Eggplant With Cashews and Chiles before the seasons change. I picked some gorgeous long and narrow eggplants. After a quick, high-heat roast, their deep purple, paper-thin skin easily gave way to an ultra-creamy interior, with barely any seeds inside. As luscious as they were, the topping is the real star here: crispy garlic oil (made with 10 cloves!), lots of buttery cashews, a couple of Fresnos for heat, and a splash of vinegar to wake everything up. I doubled the batch and covered most of my meals with it all weekend long. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
Ina’s hot-smoked salmon
It’s not summer in my family until we’ve made cedar-plank salmon on the grill and naturally, we decided to wait until Labor Day weekend to finally make it. We’ve followed this hot-smoked salmon recipe from Ina Garten for as long as I can remember. It’s a very simple rub of granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, and lemon zest—and while it’s best slathered on the night before, the morning of shall suffice for last-minute preppers. Instead of grilling over smoked wood chips like Ina suggests, we adapt this recipe to grill it on cedar planks. The result is smoky, tender salmon that screams summer. It’s equally good the next day, but leftovers didn’t stand a chance this time around.—Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
Marinated beans for lunch
When I had no idea what to make for lunch this week, contributing editor Amiel Stanek’s Marinated Mixed Beans came to my rescue. It’s a back-pocket dish, beloved among our staff, that feels bright and nourishing, even though it leans on a couple of cans that have probably been stashed in your pantry for months. I used all chickpeas (what was in my cabinet), with dill and parsley as my herbs of choice. I spooned the beans over juicy tomatoes—highly recommend while it’s still summer—and used a pizza crust to sop up every last drop of dressing. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
Back-to-school banana bread
With one last day before the start of the school year, the kids and I decamped to the kitchen to make use of four bananas in need of TLC. BA’s Best Banana Bread became a go-to during the pandemic to not just use those past-their-prime bananas, but involve the kids in the kitchen and keep them entertained. Hibernating meant making use of what was there. If not enough brown sugar, sub a little molasses. No walnuts? Try pistachios (my go-to nut). This time we actually had everything on the ingredient list. The eight year old owned measuring the dry ingredients. A week of cooking camp this summer has boosted her kitchen confidence. The five year old helped with the mixer. For both, dumping measured ingredients brought them great joy, and they teamed up to mash the bananas. A speedy exercise it was not. To their discontent, the bread wasn’t ready until after bedtime. But a slice for breakfast was a great propeller to quickly get ready for school. —Pervaiz Shallwani, associate director of dining and food culture
