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.”