Nanaimo Bars (or N.B.s
for short) are one of Canada's favorite confections. The beautiful City of
Nanaimo, British Columbia lays claim to these squares, telling us on their
website that it all began when a Nanaimo housewife entered a recipe for
chocolate squares in a magazine contest some 35 years ago. She called her
recipe 'Nanaimo Bars' and when she won the contest, not only did her
dessert become popular throughout Canada, so did the town they were named
after. Whether this story is
true or not, we will never know, but what we do know is that these bars
are delicious; a three layered square with a crumb base, followed by a
layer of light custard buttercream, that is topped with a smooth layer of
chocolate.
There are many different recipes for these squares. In fact, when
the City of Nanaimo ran a contest back in 1986 to find the 'ultimate'
Nanaimo Bar, there were about 100 recipes submitted. All Nanaimo Bars
begin with a base layer, a combination of cocoa
powder, chopped nuts, coconut and graham cracker crumbs held together with melted butter.
Once this mixture is pressed into a square pan and chilled it is
then covered with a rich layer of buttercream made of butter, powdered sugar,
custard powder, and a little milk. An important part of this
buttercream is the dried custard powder, which was the invention of an
Englishman, named Alfred Bird. He invented this powder because his wife
loved homemade custard but was allergic to eggs. Alan Davidson in his "The
Oxford Companion to Food" tells us that this powder is not, in fact, a
dried form of real custard but is just cornflour (cornstarch) and sugar
that has been colored and flavored. When the dried custard powder is used in this buttercream
it adds a lovely flavor and it also turns the cream a soft peach color. Now, if you live in the States, custard powder
is not readily available. I have found it in specialty food stores (Bird's
Custard Powder is the most popular brand) or online, but if you are unable
to find it, just
substitute it with an equal amount of instant vanilla pudding. .
The finishing touch to these squares is a
coating of shiny semisweet chocolate that provides a slight crunch as you
bite into them. For this recipe, because chocolate is one of the more
dominant flavors, make sure to use a good quality chocolate that you enjoy
eating out-of-hand. When choosing a chocolate, always look for one that
has a lovely shiny finish (a sign that the chocolate was cooked at the
right temperature for the right amount of time) and one that has that
wonderful 'snap' when you break it into pieces. Once the melted chocolate
is poured over the buttercream layer and has been left to set, cut the
squares with a sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and then
wiped off.
Butter (or use a cooking spray) a
9 x 9 inch (23 x
23
cm) pan.
BOTTOM LAYER:
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the
sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Cook,
stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove
from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and
chopped nuts. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover
and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).
FILLING:
In your electric mixer cream the butter. Beat in the
remaining ingredients. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little
more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and
refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).
TOP LAYER: In a heatproof
bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter.
Spread over the filling and refrigerate.
TO SERVE: To prevent the chocolate from
cracking, using a sharp knife, bring the squares to room temperature before
cutting.
Yield: Makes about 25 squares
Sources:
Deseine, Trish, 'I Want Chocolate'. San Diego: Laurel
Glen, 2002.
Mendelson, Susan & Cruz,
Joey, 'The Lazy Gourmet'. Vancouver/Toronto: Whitecap Books, 2000.
Rosbottom, Betty. 'Betty Rosbottom's Cooking School
Cookbook', New York: Workman Publishing, 1987.
Wine, Cynthia. 'Across the Table: An Indulgent Look at Food
in Canada'. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1985.
http://www.nanaimo.ca
Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup (1
stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room
temperature
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