editor’s be aware: Right now’s very particular publish is from Betty Kilpatrick, who occurs to be the mom of certainly one of my finest pals, Kristen. In the event you learn this website, you’ve seen Kristen’s beautiful work – she’s the photographer behind so a lot of my favourite shoots by the years. We love speaking about meals collectively, and our conversations usually flip to what her mom, Betty, is cooking up at residence in Fort Price. For years, I’ve drooled over descriptions of the selfmade cheeses and healthful baked breads — and been equally moved by the manner that Kristen speaks of her mom’s creations with a lot pleasure and love. In honor of Mom’s Day weekend – and since Kristen has been at residence cooking alongside her mama throughout quarantine – I requested the duo to share this Lemon Ricotta Poundcake that I lately noticed on Kristen’s Instagram.
Learn on for the inspiring story that Betty shares about what scratch cooking means to her, proper alongside her daughter’s images. And naturally, the recipe is at the backside — it’s one I’ll be making for years to return.
I do know that you simply guys will discover this text as significant and particular as I did. From Betty:
Recently, I’ve been considering so much about the expression “extra is caught than taught.” It definitely rings true with passionate cooking and homesteading, one thing that has been handed down from one technology to the subsequent in my household. Rising up, I used to be fortunate to be near my grandparents – spending summers working (however actually taking part in) on their small farm. Life on the farm meant scratch cooking was the solely possibility for Grandmom, a tough working Czech girl who beloved a discount till the day she died. My brother, David, and I used to scour her kitchen for something bought from the retailer…our findings have been sparse. It’s one thing we used to joke about. In a time when every thing comes premade, pre-chopped, or pre-cooked, it appears foolish to labor over such duties.
However as I’ve grown, I notice the good thing about scratch cooking vastly outweighs any time misplaced. Scratch cooking offers us time collectively, an idea of exhausting work and accomplishment, and a deep reference to the earth that sustains us.
For Grandmom, this meant that butter, cheese, milk, cream, breads, eggs, greens (be they contemporary or canned from the earlier harvest), and pickles all got here from her modest kitchen. Her freezer was filled with meats processed from the cattle Granddad raised, she knew the precise spot to search out the turkey hiding in the woods, and in true Czech trend, there was at all times a freshly baked sweat deal with for her grandkids. David and I gladly accepted the latter, scarfing down each heat kolache that got here our manner. My mother inherited this ardour from her personal days on the farm and at this time, a lot of the traditions keep it up. Whilst I write this, I’m trying over my summer time backyard—realizing I want I had inherited Grandmom’s diligence about canning extra progress. To today, the sight of a bursting inexperienced backyard dusted with orange squash blossoms jogs my memory of Grandmom and connects me to her legacy.
At the farm, making a multitude in the kitchen was by no means thought of a unfavourable — it was accepted as a part of the course of. A course of that resulted in the most scrumptious treats. We knew that any mess might be thrown in the scrap bucket saved in the nook for chickens, or composted for subsequent yr’s progress. In the occasions of COVID, occasions when tragedy and heartbreak abound, I maintain tight to this concept.
Whereas a kitchen mess is nothing in comparison with the present state of the world, I do know that the mess of this shall be used for subsequent season’s progress. That this mess, too, whereas painful past think about, has been used to convey folks collectively.
I haven’t come throughout a single one who doesn’t have a silver lining in the midst of this all.
For me, this season has allowed me the further time to take up cheesemaking once more, together with runs to native farms to get the freshest uncooked milk and essential updates on the “ladies” (aka cows who I now know by title.) My largest silver lining has been having my oldest daughter, Kristen, isolate at our ranch for 2 months, permitting us to spend extra generational time in the kitchen. After a uncooked milk run and subsequent Gouda making, we discovered ourselves with an additional gallon of milk begging to be became contemporary ricotta. Keep in mind the e-book, “In the event you give a mouse a cookie?” Properly, if you happen to give Czech girls contemporary selfmade ricotta, they may definitely discover a manner to make use of it in one thing candy and springy. Kristen added to my unique lemon ricotta poundcake recipe by suggesting candied lemon slices and I need to say, it elevated this cake to a complete new excessive. You’ll see. And since I do know you’re curious, the the rest of the ricotta went in blueberry pancakes the subsequent morning.
Whereas I might do something in my energy to remove the ache of so many throughout this time, I’m doing what I understand how to do: making lemon pound cake out of lemons.
Scroll on for the recipe for Betty Lou’s lemon ricotta poundcake…