Subject: Nanaimo Bars
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Wed May 21 2003 - 06:57:35 EDT
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FOOD FUNNY
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Here's an old one from reader Toni:
A young man went to visit his 90-year-old grandfather in a very
secluded, rural area of the state he lived in. After spending the
night, his grandfather prepared breakfast for him consisting of eggs
and bacon. He noticed a film-like substance on his plate and he
questioned his grand-father. "Are these plates clean?" His
grandfather replied, "Those plates are as clean as cold water can get
them, so go on and finish your meal."
That afternoon, while eating the hamburgers his grandfather made for
lunch, he noticed tiny specks around the edge of his plate, and a
substance that looked like dried egg yokes so he asked again, "Are you
sure these plates are clean?"
Without looking up from his hamburger, the grandfather says, "I told
you before, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them, now
stop being so picky!"
Later that afternoon, he was on his way out to get dinner in a nearby
restaurant. As he was leaving, Grandfather's dog started to growl and
would not let him pass. "Grandfather, your dog won't let me out."
Grandfather shouted, "COLDWATER, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
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TODAY'S RECIPE
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When I asked my mother what she wanted for dessert for her Mother's
Day dinner, she answered, "Something gooey." With nothing more than
that to work with, I remembered the Nanaimo bars I had eaten during my
visit to Toronto last May. I had heard about Nanaimo bars and wanted
to try some, and with the assistance of several friendly Ontarionian
natives, I managed to hunt some down and give them a try. They were
awesome. They're slightly chewy and slightly crunchy and very
chocolaty and very... gooey.
They are named (for reasons not entirely understood) for the city of
Nanaimo (pronounced nuh-NYE-moe) in British Columbia, and are
available to varying degrees throughout Canada. Assuming that, like
my mother, you have never had a Nanaimo bar before, I'll tell you what
I told her: it's the best thing you've never had. Mom agreed.
Nanaimo Bars
Note: This recipe calls for an uncooked egg. If salmonella
contamination is a concern in your area, please use a pasteurized egg
or egg substitute.
For the base:
1 egg
2 oz (2 squares, 56 g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted in
a double boiler or microwave
2 cups (500 ml) graham cracker crumbs
1 cup (250 ml) shredded coconut
1/2 cup (125 ml) butter at room temperature
1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped walnuts (optional)
2 Tbs (30 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients and press into a 9-inch (23 cm) square pan.
Chill.
For the filling:
1/4 cup (60 ml) butter at room temperature
3 Tbs (45 ml) milk
2 Tbs (30 ml) instant vanilla pudding
or 2 Tbs (30 ml) cornstarch (cornflour) and a drop of
yellow food coloring
2 cups (500 ml) powdered (confectioner's) sugar
Whisk together the butter, milk, and instant pudding. Blend in the
powdered sugar and spread over base. Chill at least 15 minutes.
For the glaze:
4 oz (4 squares, 112 g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted in
a double boiler or microwave
1 Tbs (15 ml) butter at room temperature
Combine chocolate and butter and stir until combined. Spread over the
custard layer and chill. Cut into 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) squares and
serve chilled. Makes 36.
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