Easy Taco Casserole

Make your own Eskimo ice cream

Extreme coorespondent Tony Pacheco visited a Akutaq-making workshop at the Festival of Native Arts where volunteer Kelsey Wallace demonstrates her Alaska style homemade "ice cream" process.

Akutaq, Ice Cream of the North

The first two days of the 39^th Annual Festival of Native Arts begin with morning and afternoon workshops. 

Volunteers conduct workshops and teach arts and crafts, traditional Native dances and languages, and Akutaq making. 

Akutaq is more commonly known as Eskimo ice cream.

            The Akutaq workshop is run by Native Alaskan student volunteer Kelsey Wallace who, prior to the class had little experience making Akutaq herself, “I’ve made it maybe six times but my mom always made it and it’s my turn to take over.”

            Interacting with the audience, Kelsey asked how much of each ingredient to use and an onlooker called out, “Guestimate!”  It might have seemed like a joke and was greeted with laughs but Kelsey and the other volunteers confirmed that much of the recipe is subject to guestimation. The recipe is unique to each village and likely to each household.

Break-Up Lime Tart

Not to be melodramatic, but this tart is named after two different types of break-ups. First, it’s named after my break-up with boyfriend of four months, but we won’t go into that. Secondly, it’s also named for the season of break-up that Fairbanks is currently in.

            The tart taste of the lime pie mixed with the slightly sweet taste of the crust is a decent metaphor of how life has been lately. That touch of sweet with a full out Tyler Durden punch of tart mixes wonderfully with a nice chilled white wine.