Jessie Hagan, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Jessie Hagan has tested.

Jessie Hagen

Jessie has been a proud Leite’s Culinaria Recipe Tester since July 2019. After earning a Business Degree in 2004 and then working in Hospitality IT for over 10 years, she pivoted to fully immerse herself in the culinary world. She’s worked for multiple clients testing and developing recipes. To amp up her culinary street cred, she enrolled in culinary school to pursue a degree in the Culinary Arts. Jessie currently works as a culinary copywriter and recipe developer and dabbles in food photography when she cooks something especially pretty. She lives in Frisco, Texas with her favorite guinea pigs . . . husband, Chris, and daughters Delaney and Eliza.

A patterned bowl filled with lemony fettuccine alfredo on a white and gold plate with a glass of water and dish of Parmesan on the side.

Lemony Fettuccine Alfredo

This is as indulgent as a quick weeknight pasta dish can get with its creamy and rich (though not too rich) sauce punctuated with the lilt of lemon.

Morning buns on small white plates, on a table with a coffee pot, a cream pitcher, and a coffee cup.

Morning Buns

Buttery, cinnamon and orange flavored, and rolled in sugar, these fluffy buns are a serious reason to get out of bed. Get ready to fall in love!

A wire rack with a blueberry coffee cake and 2 slices on it, glazed and with a spoon sitting beside it.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Breakfast, snack, dessert–blueberry coffee cake does all that and more. Full of berries and topped with sweet glaze, you’re going to love it.

2 pottery bowls filled with keto chicken coconut soup, with spoons and a bowl of lime and cilantro.

Keto Chicken Coconut Soup

An Asian flavored soup that’s also pretty healthy and incredibly tasty. What else could you ask for? Dairy-free and full of mushrooms? It’s all here.

A torn loaf of focaccia with herbs and salt and sprigs of rosemary, a knife, and a hunk of pecorino on the side.

Focaccia

Easier to shape than a boule, focaccia is the next bread you may want to master making at home. Just slice it and eat it as-is with its dimpled herb-flecked surface.

Halved slices of sourdough stacked on top of each other on a white and grey marble surface.

Sourdough Bread

Craving that characteristic crust and crumb of an artisanal loaf of sourdough? We have just the beginner’s recipe for you that’s a cinch to pull off at home. Swear.

A whole grilled beef tenderloin, partially sliced on a wooden cutting board with a knife, meat fork, and twine beside it.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

“The most tender, buttery steak we’ve ever had.” “Utterly and perfectly indulgent!” “Amazing.” Just some of the accolades folks are heaping on this elegant grilled tenderloin.

Pieces of Rodney Scott's whole bbq chicken on a cutting board with a knife beside them.

Rodney Scott’s Whole BBQ Chicken

For those in the know, Rodney Scott is a barbecue sensation. For those of you who don’t know, allow us to introduce you to his sublime smoked chicken—and tell you how to make it at home.

A pot of stovetop mac and cheese on a wooden board with a rubber spatula resting inside.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Creamy, cheesy, and no processed ingredients like in the boxed stuff? Yes please. America’s Test Kitchen’s mac and cheese delivers all of that.

A blue-rimmed oval platter filled with Chairman Mao's red braised pork topped with sliced scallions and a serving spoon resting on the side.

Red Braised Pork

An authentic Chinese dish that’s so sticky, so sweet, and so good, we’ve affectionately dubbed it “pork candy.”

A potato galette in a cast-iron skillet with one wedge missing.

Potato Galette

Just potatoes, butter, and salt. That’s all you need to create this crisp-on-the-outside, meltingly-lush-on-the-inside French classic that’s loveliness defined.

Hoisin-glazed duck shanks on a wire rack and one on a plate with a jar of honey beside it.

Hoisin-Glazed Duck Shanks

Our testers are smitten with these hoisin-glazed duck shanks—yes, duck shanks—that are gonna astonish you at just how sophisticated they taste yet how simple they are to make.