Ashley Harrell

Separately, of course.

On Saturday morning, I decided to wake up early and check out the Union Square Greenmarket, where I found some lovely vegetables, including carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions, leeks, and greens. Yesterday, I threw a bunch of chopped veggies into a pot, covered it with some water and broth, and simmered for about an hour. Thanks to my random addition of dried red chilies, this soup turned out interestingly spicy and delicious! I pureed the mixture, topped it with some chicken, cheese, a dollop of sour cream and tortilla strips – the best Mexican tortilla soup I’ve ever had! Served this alongside a couple mini grilled cheeses from a fresh baguette – simply delicious.
Then I moved on to dessert… I don’t bake that often, but Brian pointed out a recipe in April’s Bon Appétit that looked too good to turn down… Above, you can see the delectable little lemon cupcakes, complete with a raspberry jam center, and my twist on NYC’s famous black and white cookie – a pink and yellow cupcake! I tried to pay homage to Bon Appétit’s recipe by throwing the issue in the background of the last picture. These cupcakes were delightfully simple – try out the recipe:

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, divided
4 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
12 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 3 teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl until blended, then beat until fluffy and pale yellow. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in half of flour. Add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat to blend. Beat in remaining flour.

Drop 1 rounded tablespoonful batter into each muffin liner. Spoon 1 teaspoon raspberry jam over. Cover with remaining batter, dividing equally.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack. Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in small bowl. Spoon half of icing over 6 cupcakes. Whisk 1 tablespoon raspberry jam into remaining icing. Spoon over remaining cupcakes. Let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries.

Enjoy!