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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2018)
RECIPE August 20, 2018 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13 Wisconsin Hmong leader emphasizes cultural understanding Continued from page 9 CREAMY CAKE. This undated photo provided by America’s Test Kitchen shows a Basic Ice Cream Cake in Brookline, Massachusetts. The recipe appears in the cookbook The Perfect Cake. (Daniel J. van Ackere/ America’s Test Kitchen via AP) Bring two beloved desserts into one with an ice cream cake By America’s Test Kitchen T he appeal of ice cream cake is obvious: These two beloved desserts belong together, and a cold, creamy slice of ice cream cake is far more satisfying than a scoop of ice cream haphazardly dolloped onto a slice of cake. We wanted to develop a basic ice cream cake that would be a hit at any party. We started with three crowd-pleasing flavors — chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry — to create a striped Neapolitan cake. Oreo crumbs served as a sturdy bottom crust and also provided a welcome bit of chocolatey crunch between each layer of ice cream. When it came to assembling the cake, we found that the key was patience. We didn’t start until the crust was completely cool, and allowing the ice cream to soften to a spreadable consistency ensured it wouldn’t mar the crust. For clean lines and to avoid a melty mess, it was essential to freeze each layer before adding the next. We dressed up our cake by pressing party-ready rainbow sprinkles into the sides, but you could also use chopped nuts or crushed candies or cookies. You can also pipe a greeting on top once the cake is fully frozen. Use the entire Oreo — filling and all — for the crust. Before removing the cake from the springform pan, run your paring knife under hot tap water for 10 seconds or so. America’s Test Kitchen provided this article to The Associated Press. More recipes, cooking tips, and ingredient and product reviews are available at <www.americastestkitchen.com>. Basic Ice Cream Cake Servings: 8 to 10 Start to finish: 10 hours 25 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 pint strawberry ice cream 1 pint vanilla ice cream 1 pint chocolate ice cream 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325º Fahrenheit. Process Oreos in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and process until mixture resembles wet sand, about 10 seconds. Using your hands, press 2/3 cup crumb mixture evenly into bottom of nine-inch springform pan. Using bottom of measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan. Bake until the crust is fragrant and set, five to 10 minutes. Let crust cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes. Scoop strawberry ice cream into large bowl and, using large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, break up scoops of ice cream. Stir and fold ice cream to achieve smooth consistency. Spread softened ice cream evenly over crust. Sprinkle 2/3 cup Oreo crumbs over ice cream and pack down lightly. Wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until ice cream is just firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with vanilla ice cream and remaining 2/3 cup Oreo crumbs; wrap tightly and freeze for another 30 minutes. Soften chocolate ice cream, spread evenly in pan, and smooth top. Wrap cake tightly in plastic and freeze until firm, at least eight hours or up to one week. To unmold cake, run hot thin knife around edge of pan. Remove sides of pan and slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto platter. Press sprinkles onto sides of cake. Serve immediately. Nutrition information per serving: 469 calories (228 calories from fat); 25 g fat (11 g saturated, 0 g trans fats); 47 mg cholesterol; 252 mg sodium; 59 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 42 g sugar; 4 g protein. The staff at The Asian Reporter wish you and your family a happy and safe Labor Day! courtship. Xiong is also excited to see profiles of local Hmong community members hanging in the association’s entryway. The profiles would detail how the people survived the Vietnam War and what their transition to the U.S. was like so the younger Hmong generation and others in Eau Claire would have a better understanding of how older generations came to be in the U.S. With help from the Chippewa Valley Museum, that project is in motion. “Both of our organizations sort of realized that you can’t really go anywhere in town to learn more about Hmong history and culture right now,” said Liz Reuter, an archivist at the museum. The museum applied for funding from the Wisconsin Arts Board in January and received $5,400. With that money, the museum is bringing a folklorist from Madison to interview Hmong community members. Reuter said after the interview phase is over, the museum will begin producing a display for the association and an online exhibit, both of which she hopes to launch next spring. “I think it’s important for folks regardless of their personal heritage to know more about their neighbors,” Reuter said of the project’s importance. Xiong said he’s also working with the museum to have some display cases made for traditional Hmong artifacts. The Eau Claire school district has increased its inclusion of Hmong history and culture in its programming over the last year, including an elementary school language club for Hmong speakers, an upcoming high school history course, and a language/culture hybrid summer pro- gram. The summer program wrapped in early August. The group of about 16 students with varying knowledge of Hmong language and culture prepared a speech in Hmong, which Xiong and the students’ parents watched with enthusiasm. “With the language and culture class, I don’t expect them to go out and be a translator,” Xiong said from his second-floor office, pointing to the floor below him where students were preparing for their final presentation. “But at least they have those tools. At least, when they buddy up with their Hmong friends, they can say, ‘Hey, I know a little bit of that culture.’” Xiong mentioned that he hopes the association could become a stronger educational resource for Eau Claire schools inside the classroom and out. The association could become a field trip location, he said, to reference artifacts and stories of Hmong community members. Outside the school, Xiong noted, Hmong parents could use some communication services, especially when it comes to accompanying their kids to school events such as parent-teacher conferences. Joe Luginbill, Eau Claire school board president, said he sees the association as a key partner for cultural education. “I strongly believe that the Hmong Association and its community members play a key role in educating, inspiring, and uplifting the next generation of learners and leaders,” Luginbill said. “I am excited that Vincent shares in that vision.” Xiong hopes the association’s future plays a role in helping young people especially. “In the Hmong community, our youth, we are forgotten,” he said. “A large percentage of them don’t know what their parents went through or what the culture really consists of. So if I make those visible where they can actually come and see it, they can tie it together and have a better understanding of what their parents went through and got them to where they are today.”