Having a viable website has resulted in a steady stream of emails from JOY fans. As a result, we've been able to gather some basic information about the people who visit our site. One surprising find is that we have a solid fan base in Canada. I don't know why I find this surprising, as our neighbors to the North undoubtedly have many things in common with us. Perhaps this is because, as someone who has not yet visited Canada, I still envision it as a beautiful and chilly land of very friendly people.

I suppose it is possible that, while our Canadian readership may not be as robust as the American faction, they are more vocal or forthcoming with their findings and opinions.

In either case, this observation started me thinking about (a-boot?) Canadian dishes. I am willing to admit that I have almost no idea of the vagaries of Canadian cuisine. I imagine that it is much like American cuisine, which is to say, varied. A little French influence here, a bit of British sensibility there, and lots of delicious infiltration by ethnic cuisines from around the world.

But still, there have to be some iconic Canadian foods that haven't trickled down into the States to speak of. As so often happens, I found one answer on my own endless list of recipes to try--Nanaimo Bars.

Nanaimo sounds like a magical place, doesn't it? I would tend to argue that it must be magical, as Nanaimo Bars originated there (and Wikipedia claims that Nanaimo is the "bathtub racing capital of the world," although I'm not sure what that means). Nanaimo Bars are basically a no-bake pudding bar--the pudding layer being sandwiched between a crumbly crust and chocolate frosting. In my search for a good baseline recipe, I discovered that there are many variations on the theme, and that the "original" Nanaimo Bar is something of a great white whale.

The disadvantage to having to develop a recipe for something you've never tasted is obviously that you can't really know what to aim for. However, the Joy of Cooking is the perfect place to start, especially for a composite recipe (i.e. a recipe pieced together from several different recipes). I cherry picked from JOY's pages a crust, a filling, and a frosting from which to assemble my Nanaimo Bars.

While some Nanaimo Bar recipes call for a chocolate crust, I opted for a graham cracker crust instead. The combination of a chocolate crust and chocolate icing would almost certainly drown out the lovely vanilla filling. The toasty, buttery notes of a graham cracker crust seemed fitting for a dessert that is certain to take you back to those wonderfully simple childhood flavors.

After trying these bars with a dark chocolate frosting, I decided to use chocolate ganache instead. It's quite rich and gives way beneath the teeth in the most seductive fashion. These bars are perfect for kids and adults alike. Since the holiday season is upon us, you really don't need an excuse to try them soon.

Special thanks to Nanaimo, BC for making this post possible!

Other articles you might enjoy: Iced Hermits, Gluten-Free Almond Brownies