Cook of the Week: 4-H inspires Arlington Heights teen cook to challenge herself

From cake decorating to canning, Kaitlyn Ball has learned to do so much in the kitchen.

The Arlington Heights cook credits her budding culinary passion and ability to learn various cooking techniques to her involvement in a suburban 4-H Club, the Clever Clovers.

Kaitlyn, 18, has been cooking as long as she can remember, helping her parents in their Arlington Heights home. But when she joined the 4-H club six years ago she said her interest grew once she had the chance to pursue projects as well as compete.

Topics have ranged from food safety to candy making. Occasionally, Kaitlyn said she takes on a higher level challenge, like last year when she tried her hand at making chocolate croissants.

“I wanted to prepare food that was so technically challenging. I learned a lot. It is very challenging and very hard to make something like that. You have to be very careful with every step. You have to layer the butter into the dough to get the flakiness of a pastry. If you roll it too much, it messes the whole thing up. It is a hard thing to do, but I'm glad that I challenged myself.”

Culling what she has learned, Kaitlyn has entered several recipes, including jams, jellies and yeast breads, for judging at the Lake County Fair, or what she calls the highlight of a 4-H member's year.

“We learned to make breads made in different countries,” she said. “A lot of people think it's really tricky but once you learn how to use it (yeast) the right way it's pretty easy and you can make so many different things.”

Her projects have earned numerous honors including Best in Show and Grand Champion. But what Kaitlyn values more than the ribbons is the feedback from the judges.

“It's great to make these projects, to display them at the fair and to get feedback from judges so we can always improve the following year,” she said.

Belonging to 4-H also has given Kaitlyn the opportunity to cook before judges in a timed competition. In 2013, she made pasta dough and sauce to serve three cheese ravioli and earned first place. Last year, she left Italy and found inspiration in Thailand. Presenting chicken satay with stuffed avocados, Sriracha sauce and bean sprouts, Kaitlyn tied for first place with fellow Daily Herald Cook of the Week Alexia Ballasch.

Kaitlyn doesn't always need the pressure of competition; she enjoys cooking for family and turns to chef Gordon Ramsey, cookbooks and family recipes for ideas. Using her great aunt's scone recipe as the starting point, Kaitlyn makes a maple bacon scone with a neufchâtel cream cheese frosting.

“This is probably one of my favorite creations that I've made up,” she said.

The backyard garden also serves as a source of inspiration, Kaitlyn said. She uses tomatoes along with the herbs picked from the garden to make fresh focaccia bread that will serve as the base for her homemade tarts and pizzas.

“It's a great way to have fresh food at your house and it tastes really good, too,” she said.

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