It’s not a secret that Bon Appetit’s editors cook a great deal for work. It’s no surprise then that we cook a great deal in our free time. Here are some of the recipes that we’re cooking this month to feed our families, entertain friends, satisfy a sweet craving, use leftovers, etc. Click here for more staff favorites.Olive Oil Chocolate CakeWhen I am invited to dinner, I ask, as any good guest would, what I can bring. Last Sunday, my host asked me to bring anything or nothing. I admit that I was at a lost. After a mini-brainstorm I came up with a chocolate olive oil cake by senior Test Kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk. It was a one-layer cake I knew I could not mess up. I liked the fact that I had most of these ingredients in my pantry and that only one bowl was needed. No stand mixer is required. The frosting is delightful: a swoopy, chocolate ganache spiked with olive oils for a subtle shine. The host was left awestruck by the final sprinkle of flaky sea salt. The best orzo for company-worthy dinner parties is Claire Saffitz’s One Skillet Chicken with Buttery Orzo. It uses the best method for making orzo, toasting it first, then cooking it slowly like risotto with ladles of warm chicken stock until it is creamy and toothsome. Also included are tender fennel and crispy chicken thighs, which can be cooked in one pan. This is a great way to impress guests and not have your sink cluttered with dishes. I served this dish with a simple green salad, and asked guests to bring drinks or dessert. One-Skillet Orzo with Buttery FennelWhy use multiple pots and pans to cook fennel, chicken, and orzo when you can cook them all in one?View recipeJammy RhubarbAlmost a full year ago, I wrote a column about poaching rhubarb and vanilla syrup. I had a lot of ideas for how I would use it. No-churn, scratch-made biscuits. I had no idea I would give birth to my baby less than a month later. The preserve was waiting patiently in the fridge until we were ready. Greek yogurt, jammy-rhubarb and a fistfull of granola. That’s all I could manage. This is what I did this year. Rhubarb roughly chopped, simmered with equal parts of sugar and water plus a dab vanilla paste, until tender. Now I can feed my baby with his bread-dough hands and four-and a-half-teeth the spoils. I thought that the tartness would deter him, but he ate it all, gleefully and hungrily. *–Emma Laperruque, cooking directorCompany-worthy orzoDinner in 10 minutesI’m convinced that the answer to dinner in a hurry is ground meat. All meats, including beef, chicken, lamb, and pork, can be cooked in minutes, while maintaining their crispy Maillard texture. Ali Slagle, a contributor, has a 10-Minute Lamb Stir-Fry with Asparagus, which is, yes, cooked in 10 minutes. I’ve made it a few time now, sometimes substituting snow or snap peas instead of asparagus. Sometimes I substitute dill or mint for the asparagus, and sometimes I add a pinch cumin. I always make a quick yogurt-based sauce to go with whatever I’m serving. There’s no special recipe–just mix a cup of Greek Yogurt, a squeeze of lemon, a grated clove of garlic (or two), some salt and pepper and a few drops of olive oil. Carly Westerfield is associate manager of audience strategy. 10-Minute Lamb and asparagus Stir-FryThis versatile stir-fry can be served over grains or noodles, or in pita bread with yogurt sauce.
