Baking

Nanaimo Bars: The Next Generation

by Reb Stevenson on January 4, 2012

I grew up next door to Nanaimo, British Columbia.

Nanaimo, of the bar. The tri-level bar consisting of a coconut/almond basement, custard main floor and chocolate penthouse.

We actually did consume Nanaimo Bars from time to time. I recall my mom making them, and of course there was the famous “Nanaimo Bar Incident” of the early nineties, when my cute kid brother Jacob tested how many he could down at a Christmas party when nobody was looking. Turns out, he downed a good dozen. Then he upped them.

We still tease Jacob about Nanaimo Bars.

As for Nanaimo itself, well, it was nowhere near as delicious as its eponymous bar. I thought it was a campus full of malls with a ferry terminal.

Turns out Nanaimo had a hidden heritage downtown strip. Sadly, it was populated by pawn shops and drunks by the time I discovered it in my teens. It felt like that place that unsuspecting suburbanites accidently stumble into, only to have their pearls and wallets stolen before they’re left for dead. In the rain. Nanaimo or Gotham City? Same difference.

But downtown Nanaimo has changed soooo much in the past decade. I never thought I’d catch myself singing its praises, but I really do feel the need to shout from the rooftoops: “Nanaimo LIVES AGAIN!!!!!!!!!” The once-barren downtown is buzzing with local boutiques, cafés and restaurants, which is what I’m always looking for when I travel. I dare say it even has personality.

So, back to the Nanaimo Bars.

A few years ago, Nanaimo Tourism champion Chelsea Barr (who tweets as @nanaimobarr, how convenient is that?!) noticed that some local businesses were putting their own spin on the old classic. She figured: why not make a list, so people can venture from place to place sampling Nanaimo’s favourite treat? The Nanaimo Bar Trail was born.

I’ve been meaning to lace up my hiking boots and venture onto this trail for some time. And since I was home for the holidays (and everyone knows you don’t get enough rich treats during the holidays), I thought I’d give it a go. Here are a few that I tried:

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bar from Bocca Café.

Nanaimo Bar cheesecake from Minnoz Restaurant. Isn’t it presented beautifully? The two pieces make it just perfect for sharing. Chef Andrew, who came over to say “hello” when he heard that a weirdo blogger was ordering cheesecake at 11am, created and makes this himself.

Side note: great view of Nanaimo’s iconic bastion from Minnoz!

Mon Petit Choux makes a gluten-free Nanaimo Bar with a french influence. The custard layer is much lighter, fluffier and a tad less sweet than the traditional treat.

Nanaimo Bar petit fours at 2 Chefs Affair. In warmer months, they also make a Nanaimo bar ice cream sandwich.

Nanaimo Bar Martini and Nanaimo Bar Latté at Modern Café.

Now, please understand that we’ve barely ventured past the trailhead of the Nanaimo Bar trail. You can also find:

deep fried Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bar ice cream
Nanaimo Bar cupcakes
Nanaimo Bar sundaes
Nanaimo Bar fudge
Vegan Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bar shooters

Click here for a great PDF Chelsea made – a Nanaimo Bar trail map.

If this blog has given you an acute Nanaimo Bar craving, you can tide yourself over by whipping up the following recipe at home. It was the winner of a 1985 contest to determine the BEST Nanaimo bar:

Bottom layer

½ cup unsalted butter (European style cultured)
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs
½ c. finely chopped almonds
1 cup coconut

Melt first three ingredients in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press firmly into an non-greased 8″ x 8″ pan.

Middle layer

½ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. and 2 Tsp. cream
2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Cream butter, cream, custard powder and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.

Top layer

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. When cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

I’ve got another fun Nanaimo blog coming up tomorrow, so be sure to come back for a visit.

Visit Tourism Nanaimo’s website by clicking here.

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New Videos: Primp My Yule Log and Primp My Cake

by Reb Stevenson on December 23, 2011

Still indecisive about what dessert to bring to that holiday shindig? Do you just buy the stale gingerbread cookies from Germany? Heck no!

These two videos I made with Baker Street will give you inspiration for how to decorate either a Yule Log or a Snowflake Cake yourself. The process is simple (start with a storebought cake, if you don’t have time to bake one from scratch) but the results will BLOW YOUR RELATIVES’ MINDS. Creepy Uncle Buster will want give you extra time under the mistletoe.

Back later today with the second winner of the holiday recipe contest!

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Le Creuset Cookalong: Mary’s Fruit Cake

by Reb Stevenson on December 21, 2011

When you’re passionate about something, I think it’s pretty normal to get to the point where you crave the high quality tools. You can start off with WalMart ice skates, but they’re not going to get in you into the NHL, y’know?

I grew up in a very thrifty family, so I don’t take expenditures lightly. We didn’t have expensive cookware, nor did we invest in unnecessary appliances like quesadilla makers (seriously, I saw one in the store last night. What a joke! That’s akin to a contraption whose sole purpose is to “hard boil an egg with greater ease”).

These days, I’m into those lifetime investment pieces. The way I see it is, you pay more upfront and then you have something nice for (hopefully) the rest of your life. The world needs less disposable crap! Recently, I bought a big Le Creuset Stockpot and a set of Emile Henry mixing bowls (the red ones you see below). It was hard making the transition to spending over a hundred bucks, but these things have been worth every penny! My ultimate kitchen desire is a classic Aga cooker in cherry red!

The most recent addition to my stable of permanent kitchen companions is this Le Creuset casserole dish. I though it would be fun to do a seasonal cookalong recipe using this very dish so, if you have one too, you can join in! We’ll do the next one sometime in the Spring. I’m sure you can modify the recipe to fit another baking dish, but, as you’ll see, this recipe is tailored to the dimensions of my dish.

Mary’s Fruit Cake is a lighter-hued version of the fruit cake you’d expect at Christmas. I was shocked to see Billy eating it – and not even at gunpoint! He’d definitely turn his nose up at grandma’s muddy fruit cake.

Click here for the printable version of Mary’s Fruit Cake

Preheat the oven to 150°c (fan) or 160°c standard | 300°F (fan) or 325°F (standard) | Gas Mark 3

Ingredients:

3 cups of mixed dried fruit
3 cups of can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/3 cup of glacé cherries, halved
1/2 cup of butter or margarine
3/4 cup of soft brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
good pinch salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1.25 cup of plain flour
1.25 cup of self raising flour
2 medium eggs, beaten

STEP ONE: Line the casserole with a pre–shaped 8 inch deep cake tin liner, or line with greaseproof paper.

STEP TWO: Put the first six ingredients into a mixing bowl and microwave on high power for 3 minutes. Or, if you don’t have a microwave (I don’t use one), place them in a saucepan and heat gently just until the butter is melted.

STEP THREE: If you’ve heated the ingredients on the stove, transfer them to a mixing bowl. Mix well.

STEP FOUR: Add the remaining ingredients then mix again.

STEP FIVE: Transfer the batter to the lined casserole and level the top (decorate with a few blanched almonds if it’s going to be a plain fruit cake).

STEP SIX: Cook below the centre of the oven for approximately 1¼–1½ hours, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out cleanly.

STEP SEVEN: Cool in the casserole for 10–15 minutes then turn out and cool thoroughly. I like the way it’s a very deep cake – the fruit looks like jewels against the golden cake.