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.
June 5
Birthday cake and pancakes
A celebratory weekend away called for making birthday cake and pancakes. With no fancy kitchen equipment in sight, this two-tier no-mixer vanilla cake was the move. For the filling, I turned to this smooth and buttery lemon curd (a request from the birthday girl) and topped the whole cake with the lightest whipped-cream-turned-frosting that came together with just a whisk and a bowl. Morning meant one thing: fluffy pancakes that I could whip up quickly and throw on a griddle, while still being able to reminisce with friends around the breakfast table. —Marisa Alia Malanga, research fellow
Three-ingredient noodle sauce
True to form, New York City has experienced nearly all four seasons in the span of a single spring week (yes, the meme is real). The first time we hit an 85-degree day, cold watermelon and even colder soba were on the menu at my place. My Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles) are a delightful throw-together meal. The refreshing savory dipping sauce is made with just three ingredients: mirin, soy sauce, and instant dashi powder, but I sometimes pick up a bottle of store-bought tsuyu dipping sauce on the way home from work to make things even quicker. I always throw in an extra bundle of soba; any leftover noodles work surprisingly well the following day for a not-sad desk lunch. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
Cool off with this easy zaru soba recipe: a Japanese dish of chewy buckwheat noodles served with chilled mentsuyu dipping sauce, daikon, nori, and scallions.
Instant chocolate mousse
A chocolate craving struck. But after an absurdly long week, I had no interest in baking cookies or a cake or the like. (Too many dishes.) Instead, I turned to a recipe from my friend Ella Quittner’s Obsessed With the Best, one of our favorite cookbooks from this winter. From the chapter entitled “Whipped Cream Should Be the Whole Dessert,” the dish is called Depression Pudding. I stirred together a few spoonfuls each of cocoa powder and maple syrup, plus a pinch of salt. Poured in a lot of heavy cream. Whisked by hand—Ella’s rec and my personal pref (it’s fun)—until billowy as mousse. And, most important, devoured on the couch with a Yankees game. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director
A rainbow salad
Around this time every year, I issue one very clear directive to my boyfriend: Anytime you see Champagne mangoes at the store, cradle home as many of the chubby crescent moons as you can carry. They’re a coveted treasure, tasting like they’ve been lacquered in honey. Once ripe, I stash them in the fridge (cold fruit simply tastes better), then I slice off the two cheeks, score a grid pattern, and eat them straight from the skin. But on the rare occasion I save some for a recipe, they go into my Crispy Rice Salad With Spicy Tahini Dressing. Loaded with nearly every color in the rainbow and golden pucks of pan-fried rice, it’s as fun to look at as it is to eat. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
With crunchy cabbage, sweet mango, and ripe avocado, this salad will keep you full.