The Nanaimo Bar

[lauraf]

Okay, maybe this needs to be a new thread, but since we're talking about local culinary inventions, what's up with the Nanaimo bar? My cousin from Toronto was here, and as we were driving around the city she went - "weird, they named a street after a dessert." I proudly told here that the dessert was named after the island city, but doubted my own words. Is it named after the city? Where'd it orginate anyway?

[barolo]

Here's one version of the nanaimo bar story: Nanaimo bar mystery

[*Deborah*]

Okay, maybe this needs to be a new thread, but since we're talking about local culinary inventions, what's up with the Nanaimo bar?  My cousin from Toronto was here, and as we were driving around the city she went - "weird, they named a street after a dessert."  I proudly told here that the dessert was named after the island city, but doubted my own words.  Is it named after the city?  Where'd it orginate anyway?

←

If you go to the City of Nanaimo website, they have all the info, and a recipe!

[Keith Talent]

The Nanimo Bar was named by a thief with the constitution of a hummingbird? Good job Nanimo. And people in Nanimo wonder why the rest of the province laughs at them?

[Vancouver Lee]

If you go to the City of Nanaimo website, they have all the info, and a recipe!

←

"The official Nanaimo Bar recipe was available as a handout as well as on quality tea towel and apron souvenirs."

I'll be passing through Nanaimo on Monday is anyone wants me to pick them up one of these must-have kitchen accessories.

[Badiane]

I believe, and of course the opinions will vary depending on who you ask, that the Nanaimo Bar is the culinary creation of one Susan Mendelson of Lazy Gourmet fame...God knows I made enough of the damned things when I worked there a hundred years ago.

[peppyre]

I believe, and of course the opinions will vary depending on who you ask, that the Nanaimo Bar is the culinary creation of one Susan Mendelson of Lazy Gourmet fame...God knows I made enough of the damned things when I worked there a hundred years ago.

←

Really? My grandma started making them every year for Christmas when she first came to Canada. They moved to Vancouver in '64 and I know for a fact that she made them 30 years ago. Was Susan that big in the mid-70's?

[*Deborah*]

I love Nanaimo Bars! they're about the only thing I'll eat on BC Ferries.

[Badiane]

Oh probably not - I think she didn't even open the business until the 80's...I doubt that she actually invented them, since I remember eating them at Christmas time as a kid...one blurb in a cookbook I dug up from the trunk of forgotten cookbooks says that she 'popularized' them. In other words, she was probably the first one to slap them on a catering menu and sell them for five times the cost of the actual ingredients.

[Brenda]

The Nanimo Bar was named by a thief with the constitution of a hummingbird? Good job Nanimo. And people in Nanimo wonder why the rest of the province laughs at them?

←

Sigh - living in Nanaimo, I feel I have to stand up for my town. It's darn hard, though!

Many people who live here are trying hard to get rid of the ghost of Frank Ney and his white shoes and white belt (known as the " full Nanaimo," I understand). By the way, no disrespect meant to the Old Pirate!

But I must say - I lived in Alberta for years, and the people I knew there were split between calling the confection "Nanaimo Bars" or "New York Slice."

They're sickly sweet, and I eat them only at Christmas (because they're made by my mother). And I eat them in 1 inch by 1 inch portions.

Barolo has the scoop. I love this kind of stuff. Reminds me of Jane and Michael Stern's books.

[paul mitchell]

Here at Clayoqout Wilderness Resorts you can eat Nanaimo Bars until your blue in the face.......we've got two hotel pans of them in the walk-in. I could actually do a wine pairing with them as well. Maybe start with a '98 Dellile D2, then a '97 Phelps Insignia, maybe a Vertical of Nota Bene from 01-03 and finish with a '60 Dow's.

Edited June 19, 2005 by paul mitchell (log)

[jamiemaw]

Here at Clayoqout Wilderness Resorts you can eat Nanaimo Bars until your blue in the face.......we've got two hotel pans of them in the walk-in. I could actually do a wine pairing with them as well. Maybe start with a '98 Dellile D2, then a '97 Phelps Insignia, maybe a Vertical of Nota Bene from 01-03 and finish with a '60 Dow's.

←

And for the second pan?

[Keith Talent]

Insulin.

[jamiemaw]

Insulin.

←

Thank you. On the whole though I prefer Port Alberni bars.

Either the Arlington or West Wind.

[Viola da gamba]

Insulin.

←

so true

[markemorse]

So, the other night over too many bottles of wine with some friends from Toronto and London, it was revealed that the Londoner's mom used to make him a nanaimo bar every year for his birthday until she died 10 years ago. His birthday's coming up in a week or so and I'm considering making him a nanaimo bar.

Forgetting for a moment the shakily sentimental/nostalgic ground I'll be cooking upon, has there been an eGullet nanaimo bar bake-off that I'm not aware of? I guess I'm looking for an eGullet-tested nanaimo bar recipe. Does anyone know of one?

Thanks!

mark

Edited September 12, 2006 by markemorse (log)

[Ling]

This recipe looks decent. All Nanaimo bar recipes are about the same. Some use 2 oz. of semisweet chocolate (melted) in the base) instead of cocoa, but the proportions are roughly the same across the board.

You could easily reduce the amount of icing sugar in the middle layer from 2 cups to 1 cup if you prefer, as Nanaimo bars are very sweet. I'd recommend a good bittersweet chocolate in the top layer as well.

[markemorse]

Nice one, Ling...thanks for being so speedy!

That's actually the recipe I had my eye on, but I was unsure about a couple of ingredients...

graham wafers = graham crackers?

vanilla custard powder = instant pudding mix?

And are your almonds toasted, blanched, skinned, etc? This may be obvious...desserts are not something I make very often.

Thanks for the help!

mark

[Kerry Beal]

Nice one, Ling...thanks for being so speedy!

That's actually the recipe I had my eye on, but I was unsure about a couple of ingredients...

graham wafers = graham crackers?

vanilla custard powder = instant pudding mix?

And are your almonds toasted, blanched, skinned, etc? This may be obvious...desserts are not something I make very often. 

Thanks for the help!

mark

←

Graham wafers are graham crackers, but custard powder is egg flavoured cornstarch sold under the name Bird's Custard powder or Harry Horne's custard powder. It's english and I think is available in the netherlands. Keep it around to make custard for trifle at Christmas.

Wouldn't matter if almonds were blanched or not, but I would toast them. My recipe uses pecans or walnuts.

Edited September 12, 2006 by Kerry Beal (log)

[markemorse]

Cool, thanks Kerry...glad I didn't just forge ahead with the ol' instant pudding mix...

I'll probably do a test run next week and report back here with "issues"....

Thanks all,

mark

[apronstrings]

When I make Nanaimo bars I use Jell-o brand vanilla pudding, but not the instant kind. I use chopped walnuts, but I toast them first. Cocoa powder in the base, and a good quality chocolate for the icing. They are OUTRAGEOUS. Not bad for a Yankee.

[markemorse]

Good to know, apronstrings....so you just sub the same amount vanilla-flavored Jello pudding powder for the vanilla custard powder.

Don't laugh if there's no such thing as Jello pudding powder...I have no idea what's in a box of Jello pudding. I've never made it before! I feel like the biggest doofus!

Thanks...

mark

[apronstrings]

Yes, substitute one for one. That's OK, when I first came across the recipe I didn't know what custard powder was!!

[eastvillage]

Actually, the recipe that I've used for years (and my mom also has used forever) is the one off the back of the Bird's Custard Powder can! It's a really easy recipe and makes awesome nanaimo bars

You can get Bird's at your local grocery store (Save-On, Safeway, etc.).