Jesse Szewczyk
Senior Test Kitchen Editor
Jesse Szewczyk is a food editor based in New York. He holds a degree from The Culinary Institute of America and has been a staff editor at The Kitchn and BuzzFeed Food prior to joining Epicurious as Food Editor. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Food Network, TODAY, Food52, The Washington Post, King Arthur Baking, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Allrecipes, Simply Recipes, Bake from Scratch, and several other publications. He was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 of Food & Drink and is the author of Tasty Pride (Clarkson Potter, 2020), a collection of 75 recipes and stories from the queer food community that raised $50,000 for GLAAD, as well as Cookies: The New Classics (Clarkson Potter, 2021), which was named one of the best cookbooks of 2021 by The New York Times and The New Yorker.
Shrimp Scampi Bisque
This garlicky shrimp scampi version of a classic bisque embraces the technique of blending seafood shells for a luxuriously silky and creamy end result.
Steakhouse Salad With Black Pepper Dressing
Crisp winter greens and tender slices of steak get the restaurant treatment with a punchy peppercorn dressing, crisp bacon bits, chives, and blue cheese.
One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Cilantro Rice and Beans
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Babka French Toast Bake
This breakfast-for-a-crowd crams everything good about babka into a hearty casserole: sweet custard, cinnamon, chocolate, and tender slices of bread.
Cheddar Caramel Slices
A shortbread base made with cheddar cheese provides a salty contrast against a chewy caramel in this playful cookie bar that pays homage to Chicago mix popcorn.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
A good garlic mashed potato recipe can upstage even the flashiest of mains. Adding just a few cloves of garlic turns what could be a simple side dish into something with undeniable charm.
Sweet-and-Sour Cranberry Chicken Stir-Fry
Canned cranberry jelly transforms into a glossy stir-fry sauce that coats chicken and green beans for a dish reminiscent of your favorite take-out.
Pumpkin Flan de Queso
This seasonal take on a Puerto Rican favorite adds pumpkin purée and a touch of warm spice for an autumnal flair.
Pumpkin Tiramisu
Everything good about the classic dessert with the warming notes of a pumpkin spice latte.
French Silk Pie
A no-bake Oreo crust, a rich chocolate filling, and a tower of whipped cream come together in this shut-the-room-up dessert.
Mascarpone Cheesecake
An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.
Chocolate Chip Cookies With Olive Oil and Sea Salt
Olive oil gives these cookies robust, sophisticated flavor (and makes them secretly vegan).
Gnocchi Piccata
All the flavors of chicken piccata, only instead of meat, the dish is built upon plump potato gnocchi (the shelf-stable kind) in this no-boil one-pan recipe.
Smoky Brown-Butter Pasta
Smoky brown-butter pasta is a pantry-friendly, grown-up version of beloved buttered noodles. Salted almonds and parsley elevate this to bistro-worthy fare.
Beet-Salmon Salad With Horseradish Yogurt
Cooked beets, flaked salmon, and an array of crunchy vegetables crown a bed of spicy horseradish yogurt in this hearty salad.
Banana Pudding Paris-Brest
This modern riff on an old-school French classic is the ultimate fancy-pants dessert.
Dark Chocolate Flax Bark
Crunchy, seedy flax crackers get topped with dark chocolate and a showering of sea salt for the ultimate sweet and salty snack.
Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp With Crispy Polenta
Tingly, salty, and irresistibly crunchy, this salt-and-pepper shrimp with cubes of crispy polenta (yes, from those tubes!) is a weeknight MVP.
Summer Berry Stovetop Crisp
This no-oven-needed crisp can be made with almost any fresh berry (we’d avoid raspberries) and comes together within 45 minutes.
Salmon With Sizzled Nut Salsa
A savory-hot salsa made with mixed nuts (like the kind dubbed cocktail nuts meant for snacking) gives roast salmon a kaleidoscope of textures and flavors.