Nanaimo..the town and its famed confection

A very short cruise experience brings discovery of a beautiful little town...Nanaimo

A WALK INTO NANAIMO'S PAST

Orginally inhabited by the Coast Salish Snuneymuxw tribe, the Nanaimo area was later settled by early Europeans and Canadians. The Hudson's Bay Company fuelled the exploration of the rich coal deposits in; the harbor and Nanaimo became a vibrant coal mining town.

Throughout its early history, Nanaimo's harbor was protected from attack by the Bastion, an eight wided armed fort built in 1853 by the Hudson's Bay Company. This iconic fort in the city's harbor is the last original free standing HBC in North America. You can witness tbe ceremonial firings of the Bastion's cannons every day at noon in the summer.

Nanaimo has been transformed in recent decades from its early roots as a coal mining town and in 2008 was named a Cultural Capital of Canada. Jazz musicians Diana Krall and Ingrid Jensen were both raised in Nanaimo. The city's love of live music is reflected in the many local festivals, cafes and nightspots where you can hear everything from the spoken word poetry to the blues.

Nanaimo is a very friendly and welcoming spot to slow everything down and enjoy a day at the beach, a visit to the art galleries or local shopping. Or, dial it up a notch and hike through the parks, climb/hike the mountain,kayak or scuba dive!

Recipe for Nanaimo Bars

The Original Nanaimo Bar

Ingredients:

***Bottom Layer ***

    * 1/2 cup unsalted butter (European style cultured)
    * 1/4 cup sugar
    * 5 tablespoons cocoa
    * 1 egg beaten
    * 1 1/4 cup graham wafer crumbs
    * 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
    * 1 cup coconut

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 8" x 8" pan.

***Second Layer ****

   * 1/2 cup unsalted butter
    * 2 tablespoons cream PLUS
    * 2 teaspoons cream
    * 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
    * 2 cups icing sugar

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

***Third Layer ***

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

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

This recipe for Nanaimo Bar (Official) serves/makes 24 bars.

The Cranberry Nanaimo Bar

Ingredients:

***BASE***

    * 1/2 cup butter, softened
    * 3 squares semi-sweet chocolate
    * 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    * 1 egg
    * 2 cups graham crumbs
    * 1 cup Angel Flake Coconut
    * 1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Melt butter with chocolate and remove from heat. Stir in sugar and egg. Add crumbs, coconut and orange rind; mix well. Press into 9" square pan. Chill

***CRANBERRY LAYER***

* 1/4 cup whole cranberry sauce, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon orange liqueur or orange juice

Combine cranberry sauce and liqueur. Spread evenly over base. Custard Layer: Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread over base. Chill.

***CUSTARD LAYER***

    * 2 tablespoons custard powder
    * 3 tablespoons milk
    * 1/4 cup butter, softened
    * 2 cups icing sugar

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread over base. Chill.

***CHOCOLATE LAYER***

* 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
* 1 tablespoon butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat or in microwave on med. power for 2 minutes, stir until melted. Spread evenly over filling. Chill. Let stand at room temperature for fifteen minutes before cutting into bars.

Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks before cutting.

To freeze: For longer storage, freeze bars before topping with chocolate and cutting. Thaw and spread with melted chocolate.

This recipe for Cranberry Nanimo Bars serves/makes 36 bars.

The Orange Nanaimo Bar

Ingredients:

    * 2 cups Graham wafer crumbs
    * 1 cup Coconut, unsweetened, flaked
    * 1/2 cup Pecans; toasted, chopped
    * 2/3 cup Butter
    * 1/3 cup Cocoa powder; unsweetened sifted
    * 1/4 cup Sugar, granulated
    * 1 Egg; beaten

In bowl, stir together crumbs, coconut and pecans. In small saucepan, gently heat butter, cocoa and sugar until butter melts. Remove from heat; whisk in egg. Blend into crumb mixture. Press into greased 9 inch square cake pan. Bake in 350F oven for 10 minutes. Let cool on rack.

***GRAND MARNIER LAYER***

    * 2 cups Icing Sugar
    * 1/4 cup Butter; softened
    * 1/4 cup Grand Marnier;or orange liqueur
    * 1 tablespoon Orange rind; coarsely grated

In bowl, place half of icing sugar with butter, mix in half of the icing sugar with butter; mix in Grand Marnier, remaining icing sugar and orange rind. Spread over base.

***CHOCOLATE TOPPING***

* 1 tablespoon Butter
* 4 ounces Semisweet chocolate; melted

Stir butter into chocolate until melted; spread evenly over Grand Marnier layer. Let cool for 20 minutes in refrigerator; cut into bars. (Bars can be covered, refrigerated up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 2 months. Let soften slightly before serving.

This recipe for Orange Nanaimo Bars serves/makes 24.

Cherry Almond Nanaimo Bar

Ingredients:

***Base***

    * 1/2 cup Butter
    * 1/4 cup Sugar
    * 1/3 cup Cocoa
    * 1 teaspoon Vanilla
    * 1 Egg -- beaten
    * 1 cup Coconut -- desiccated
    * 1 3/4 cup Graham wafer crumbs
    * 1/2 cup Almonds – chopped

Cook butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla & egg in saucepan over low heat heat, stirring constantly until custard begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, crumbs and almonds. Pat firmly into a greased 9 pan inch square pan. Chill for 1 hour.

***Filling***

    * 1/4 cup Butter -- softened
    * 1 tablespoon Cherry juice
    * 2 cups Icing sugar
    * 1/3 cup Maraschino cherries – chopped

Cream butter, cherry juice and extract.

***Top***

* 2 ounces Semisweet chocolate
* 1 tablespoon Butter

Heat chocolate and butter, stirring until smoothly melted. Drizzle chocolate over filling.

Chill. Cut into bars.

This recipe for Cherry Almond Nanaimo Bars serves/makes 30 bars.