It’s rare that I ever get around to posting follow-ups. I’ve been the lucky recipient of additional stories and recipes in response to past posts — I even have a plan to scrapbook them. But I’m always in the thick of a backlog of new posts and new stories.
Charlotte Truesdell’s Ricotta Cheesecake will be a first, then.
I wrote about the Truesdells in 2019. It was one of those times where I randomly chose a recipe from a community cookbook only to find a goldmine of information about the person who contributed it. In the years since the post, I’ve walked past the “Il Palazzetto” house many times, thinking of its history.
In March of 2020, a woman named Matilde Morara reached out to me. A resident of Bologna, Matilde was a friend of the Truesdells, who she met while they were all living in New York in 1971. Matilde lived in Baltimore for a year in 1980, spending time with the Truesdells in their famously splendid home, enjoying music and good food. She told me that Charlotte was an excellent cook of Bolognese food, Matilde’s native cuisine.
As she spent time organizing her mother’s collection, she sent me recipes. At the time, the world was watching Italy, the first country to have a nationwide lockdown due to COVID. Here in the states, I was feeling very scared and uncertain.
I’ve fondly remembered those messages for two years, and I recently went back to them to find a recipe to try.
I got some additional background on how Charlotte Truesdell’s Rosamarina Sauce ended up in the American Committee on Italian Migration cookbook. Charlotte and Clifford were friends with the Mastellones, who owned an Italian deli and food shop here in Baltimore. (The shop still exists under different ownership.) Local authorities on Italian food, the Mastellones became an addition to the Truesdell social circle and were invited to the famous gatherings at Il Palazzetto. Margaret Rose Mastellone compiled the 1982 A.C.I.M. cookbook. “Rosamarina Sauce” is Charlotte’s lone recipe in it.
The ricotta cheesecake was simple to make, with delicious results. I wasn’t used to the creamy, almost custard-like texture at first but it grew on me. Incredibly rich and not too sweet. This recipe appears to be photocopied from a cookbook. If you recognize it please contact me. Until then I’m going to risk copyright infringement and share the recipe verbatim.
This was only the first of many recipes shared with me by Matilde. Many were in Italian, from lavishly illustrated vintage cookbooks. Appealing — even if I can’t read the instructions. She shared recipes and stories of friendships from around the world.
Corresponding with people as a result of my past posts is an aspect of Old Line Plate that I don’t write about much. But its something that has been a great consolation in some very stressful times. I often write about the sinister side of food in history. In my own life, so far, food has overwhelmingly been a force for good.
Recipe:
- 3 strips lemon zest (2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide)
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese at room temperature, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 cups (1 pint) sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Confectioner’s sugar
Butter a 9— or 10—inch springform pan. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Into a processor fitted with the metal blade, put the lemon zest and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Turn the machine on and off 3 times and then let it run until the zest is finely minced.
Add the eggs and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar and process for 30 seconds. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Process for another 30 seconds or until the mixture is fluffy.
Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the egg mixture and set it aside. To the remaining mixture add 2 pieces of the butter. Process for 1 minute. Add half of the cream cheese and half of the ricotta and process for 1 minute.
Add half of the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla and process for 5 seconds. Add half of the flour and salt. Turn the machine repeatedly on and off only until the flour disappears. Transfer this batter to a large mixing bowl.
Repeat the above procedure using the reserved 1 1/2 cups of egg mixture and the remaining ingredients. Add this half to the batter in the mixing bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon to combine them. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Set the pan on a cookie sheet and bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 2 hours. Turn the heat off and let the cake remain in the closed oven for 1 hour.
Cool to room temperature. Then cover with foil and refrigerate. Before serving, let the cake come to room temperature; sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
Makes 16 servings.
