In my last article I mentioned a wonderful new dessert recipe I discovered while on the trip to Canada. It was so good it got requested more than once. The information below is from the Nanaimo, British Columbia website. I like the story almost as much as the confection itself.

"According to local legend about 35 years ago, a Nanaimo housewife entered her recipe for chocolate squares in a magazine contest. In a burst of civic pride, she chose to dub the entry not "Daphne's Delights" or "Mary's Munchies", but "Nanaimo Bars". The entry won a prize, thereby publishing the town as much as her cooking. Some American tourists claim sovereignty over the dessert, referred to as "New York Slice" which is sold in many other places in the world. Nanaimo residents refuse to accept this theory, however, believing that once you set foot on Vancouver Island, there are no other places in the world. The official Nanaimo Bar recipe was available as a handout as well as on quality tea towel and apron souvenirs.

In 1986, Nanaimo Mayor Graeme Roberts, in conjunction with Harbour Park Mall, initiated a contest to find the ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe. During the four-week long contest, almost 100 different variations of the famous confectionery were submitted. The winner: Joyce Hardcastle."

This is the recipe almost exactly as it is on the website. I did change the wording from 'graham wafer crumbs' to 'graham cracker crumbs' to clarify for the American cooks that we are. And the size of the pan was originally an 8" x 8" but I only have the 9" x 9". It worked just fine, so use whatever size you have. I also did not bother with the double boiler. I simply used a saucepan over very low heat. The one ingredient you may not have is the "Bird's" brand custard powder. It is available at most Marsh stores in with the British foods. It is a bit pricey but for the real thing I splurged. Several other similar recipes I found used the same amount of regular vanilla pudding powder instead. I am sure I will try it that way someday but for now, well, I will stick to the "Bird's".

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 9" x 9" pan.

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

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