Introducing Our Baking Book Contributors

Meet the back-pocket baking pros who made our new book (out today!) possible.

When we wanted to put together a list of never-fail, good-on-a-weeknight, sure-to-impress baking recipes—in short, the recipes we trust most—we turned to the people we trust most: our Food52 family (and our actual family members, too).

We want to give a huge thank you to all of the Food52 members, friends, parents, and grandparents who contributed recipes—some updated versions of favorites on Food52 and some never-before-seen—to Baking. We know your recipes will make lots of kitchens smell very good and lots of days much sweeter. 

In alphabetical order, we're sharing a little bit about each of our blue ribbon Baking contributors—with links to their Food52 profile names, blogs, and personal websites when available. Get to know the people behind the recipes and click the links to explore their other fantastic work. 

aargersi

You couldn't make us pick a favorite recipe from aargersi, so don't even try. Not only is she a dessert maestro (see Avocado Gelado), she also woos us with meat, fish, and of course buttered noodles. (We also like her sense of humor.)

  

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

If you haven't gaped over former professional baker Alanna's blog The Bojon Gourmet (see two of her gorgeous Instagram shots below, with links to the recipes), now is the time. (And, in April 2016, you'll be able to buy Alanna's book!) 

  

AntoniaJames

Longtime user AntoniaJames has had 2 contest wins and 69 community picks (holy cow!). It should come as no surprise, then, that she's the mastermind behind some of Food52's very favorite baking recipes.

  

bonbonmarie

It's worth a trip to Bremerton, WA, just to visit the farmers market where former professional baker Marie sells all sorts of sweet and savory pastries, cakes, tarts—you name it. You can also order via email. My question: If I order now, will it be ready when I arrive?

  

camille

We know camille for her Pudding Chômeur, a Food52 classic without which the book wouldn't have been complete. Not only was the recipe uploaded to the site within the first year of Food52's founding, but camille is also featured in the original Food52 Cookbook. 

ChefJune

ChefJune has been cooking professionally for over 30 years, but she's been in the kitchen for as long as she can remember. On her website Feastivals, she shares recipes, stories about food, and cookbook reviews. And on Food52, she's spoiled us with swordfish, chicken, and OMG! Coconut Pound Cake. 

More: How ChefJune created the brownie recipe on Baking's cover.

Couldn’t Be Parve

Couldn't Be Parve (who has a website by the same name) is a rabbi in California who develops non-dairy (parve) recipes using natural substitutes. I would like to be invited to her home for Yom Kippur break fast. 

  

drbabs

I think it's safe to say that the world is a better place because nearly 4,700 people have saved these Magical Marveous Memorable Cookies from drbabs, who is always eager to share recipes and give great advice. Get ready to fall in love with her five—five!—other recipes in the book.

Elizabeth Friend

Amanda Hesser's family is filled with great bakers, including Elizabeth Friend, her mother-in-law. Elizabeth adapted the Nectarine Slump recipe that's in the book from the 1997 book Under the Tuscan Sun (which was adapted for the screen in the 2003 film!).

  

Emiko Davies

We call on Emiko to tell us about the authentic Italian recipes many of us are missing here in the U.S., and she's introduced us to the thinnest focaccia we've ever seen, the two-ingredient candy that's found all over Italy, and so many other gems. Good news for everyone: Emiko's first book, Florentine, will be available in February 2016.

 

ENunn

Fun fact about ENunn is that she is an undefeated contest finalist: She's picked up contest wins for pancakes, roasted pork shoulder, and recipe or technique learned from your mother. Her upcoming book, The Comfort Food Diaries, is being published by Atria Books. 

  

erinmcdowell

When Test Kitchen Manager Erin McDowell (who's working on her own cookbook!) came into the Food52 kitchen for the first time, she was carrying drop biscuits with molasses butter. We all knew this was the start of a beautiful relationship. She rolls out twelve pie crusts in one day like it's no big deal, frosts cakes with her eyes closed, and never skimps wtih the butter. She is also responsible for this:

eva @myfrontburner

Eva is a writer, recipe developer, and food blogger who's been working in the industry for over 20 years. When we first made her pistachio dukkah in the office (it was a contest winner for Your Best Edible Gift), the editors were eating it by the palmful.

FamilyStyle Food

I was terrified of popovers until I tried personal chef and blogger FamilyStyle Food's recipe, which inflated like mini hot air balloons. And I was terrified of dandelion greens until I made her Pici Pasta with Dandelion Greens. Thank you for scaring away my monsters.

fiveandspice

While we've got fiveandspice (a.k.a. Emily Vikre) writing about alcohol now (she owns a distillery, after all!), the best thing to pair with a cocktail is definitely a baked good (right?). Emily regularly wrote about breakfast here for two years, and in her recipe archives you can find her characteristically creative recipes: Marbleized Eggs with Salsa Verde, Bagel and Cream Cheese Strata, and (pictured below) Lemon-Ginger Curd "Toaster" Strudels.

foxeslovelemons

Foxeslovelemons (a.k.a. Lori Yates) can bake, cook, and drink. Her Green Goddess Chicken Sandwiches won our avocado contest, her Spicy Korean-Style Gochujang Meatballs won our spicy contest, and her Meyer Lemon-Vanilla Bean Bourbon Smash won our hearts. 

hardlikearmour

An invaluable member of the Food52 community, hardlikearmour has shared almost 200 recipes and won five contests. She's the reason that recipes like Zesty and Zippy Collards, Brussels Sprouts Gratin, and the BEAT Breakfast Sandwich (bacon, eggs, avocado, and tomato) exist. Plus, she's a veterinarian. 

Joan Jampel

My grandma will never see this, but if she does: Hi Grandma. I love you.

Judith Hesser

Remember when I said earlier that Amanda's family is full of great bakers? Her mother, Judith, is no exception. She's behind some of the most popular baking recipes on Food52 (and three incredible desserts in the book).

 
Judith Hesser's peach tart in real life (left); Judith Hesser's peach tart in the book (right).

Kate Williams

Kate Williams is a professional food writer, editor, and recipe consultant whose work you can find on Serious Eats, The Cook's Cook, and SF Weekly. And while her "Cuppa Cuppa Sticka" Peach and Blueberry Cobbler deserves many accolades, don't forget about her Apple Rye Punch, which won our holiday punch contest. 

  

 

Kenzi Wilbur

Kenzi Wilbur is our mush-loving, baguette nub-stealing Managing Editor. She also bakes cakes. And galettes. 

  
Two (nearly identical) views of the same cake.

Kristen and Susan Miglore

We can thank Susan Miglore for our wonderful Executive Editor and Genius Recipes author Kristen, for the site online-cookbook.com (which she runs with Kristen's dad), and for the cheesecake-esque torte that's in the book. As kids are wont to do, Kristen took the original recipe and updated it (no Cool Whip, no canned blueberry filling), and that's the version in the book.

  

Lindsay-Jean Hard 

While Lindsay-Jean is our resident produce expert—she's taught us fellow editors everything we know about black radishes and to cook with all the bits and pieces we'd normally throw out (like tomato skins!)—she makes excellent desserts, too. Banana cake, yes, but also black sesame ice cream inspired by the time she spent living Japan.

 

Marian Bull

When former editor Marian Bull left Food52, I knew we had big shoes to fill—not only because she is just as funny as she is smart (very!), but also because she had as many excellent, feel-good baking recipes as she did ideas. Marian also helped make Baking look really pretty. 

  
Hiya, Marian!

Merrill Stubbs

Our fearless co-founder Merrill is known for her love of cheese (see lefthand below for a photo of her actual office lunch) and simple but perfect tomato sandwiches. Oh, and her desserts aren't bad either. 

  

molly yeh

Molly's blog My Name is Yeh has been a favorite for as long as I can remember. She makes it seem effortless to make Choco Tacos and Funfetti cake from scratch, and she writes with humor and wit that color even her failures (Gushers 2015) completely charming. Molly's cookbook is being published by Rodale.

 

monkeymom

Monkeymom's rolls are a staple of the Thanksgiving table of the overwhelming majority of Food52's staff, but she's also somewhat of a pork professional (read more about her here!), with excellent recipes for Roasted Pork Belly, Caramelized Pork Banh-Mi, and Chinese-American Pork Roast.

  

mrslarkin

Mrslarkin makes the best scones I've ever tasted, plus she has a cool 68 Community Picks (!!!). And though scones are her speciality, she is a veritable fount of knowledge, with recipes for Scallion Pancakes, Miso Hummus, and Chicken-Fried Macaroni and Cheese. 

  

Muffinj

Muffinj lives in Moutain Brook, AL, southwest of Birmingham. The original recipe for her Food52-famous cake was written on a recipe card kept by her grandmother. Although the original recipe card has been misplaced, Muffinj keeps the cake alive by baking it for any and every occasion. (Her friends even say it cures illness.)

Phyllis Grant

Treasure Phyllis Grant—more of whose writing and recipes you can find on her blog Dash and Bella—not only for her wanton use of anchovies, brown butter, garlic confit, roasted tomatoes, and chocolate, but also (and perhaps more importantly) because of her ability to distill the beauty (and difficulty) of everyday life into words. 

Posie Harwood

Each week, Posie Harwood of 600 Acres finds the best back-of-the-box recipes that we often overlook at the grocery store and she hunts down local dishes from special restaurants. A self-taught photographer, Posie also keeps one the prettiest Instagram accounts around. 

  

 

Sheri and Brette Warshaw

Former managing editor Brette Warshaw and her mom Sheri have a gift for feeding people irresistibly homey, day-brightening food. They're also responsible for tipping Kristen off to the Genius Cook's Illustrated Blondies. Considering how often these blondies turn up around the office (and later, on my plate), that is enough to award Brette and Sheri trophies.

  
Brette's specialities

TheWimpyVegetarian

Blogger, writer, and cooking teacher with a blog by the same name, TheWimpyVegetarian has 33 community picks and 3 contest wins. I'm looking forward to cooler weather primarily so I can make her Sweet Potato Biscuit Pillows and Crispy Delicata Rings with Currant, Fennel, and Apple Relish.

Veronica Stubbs

Merrill calls Veronica mom.

On the day before Thanksgiving, Merrill's mom Veronica makes "Tuscan onion goo."

vvvanessa

A novice photographer and avid cartwheeler, vvvanessa writes the blog Hungreem. Her cake is the very first thing you should do with ripe persimmons—and her Wonder Fries are the first thing you should do with potatoes, her Peach and Lemon Thyme Galette is the first thing you should do with peaches, and her Yum Dogs are the only way you should eat hot dogs (wrapped in bacon). 

Yossy Arefi

Photographer and stylist Yossy Arefi (see more of her stunning images on her website) is the baker I wish I could be. She whips up a quadruple-layer Strawberry Shortcake and a twenty-layer Crêpe Cake like it's no big deal, and somehow, even her biggest projects never look fussy. 

  

Now that you've met them, check out the book they made with us!