Nanaimo Pie--Mmm, Canada!

This post is hereby dedicated to my friend Sara, without whom I would have lived my whole life never having known the pleasure of a Nanaimo Bar.
Sara is half-Canadian, and being my only link to Canadian food lore, I asked her for advice. This month's Sugar High Friday theme was cleverly chosen by Jen, The Domestic Goddess, and is "Mmmm...Canada."
At first I was stumped. The only thing I could think of was maple-flavored things, and frankly, maple in the summer just doesn't jive unless it's on pancakes. But I made some Maple Madelienes anyway, and they turned out yummy.
Then I thought I'd ask my friend what she would choose--and with her help, I realized the devil must be Canadian. Oh, my goodness. Chocolate. Walnut. Coconut. Custard. And then more chocolate. How have I lived almost 30 years without knowing what a Nanaimo Bar is?!
As I sit here and type, I am still not sure how to pronounce it...but that didn't stop me from making some. As soon as I saw this recipe, I was in my kitchen rummaging for a box of graham crackers and the coconut I knew I had.
Now, there are upsides and downsides to using European or Canadian recipes. The upsides--they always give you metric measurements, easily converted to ounces. So there's no guesswork there. The downside? Translating can sometime be a pain, and they will sometimes call for an ingredient one would have to special-order to get. In this case, custard powder. I might check Cost Plus next time I'm there--but I've never heard of this stuff. So I had to make do and use a vanilla pie filling from Cook's Illustrated. The result I imagine is pretty much the same. Having changed that, I couldn't imagine making a bar cookie with a pie filling, so I turned it into a pie. Kinda.
The other big change I made to the recipe--and I try not to mess with things if I am making something for the first time--was to omit the egg from the crust. I made it three times total, wasting two sticks of butter and a load of cocoa powder. No matter how low I kept the heat, the mixture separated. I am not a novice when it comes to cooking with eggs--so I decided I'd go with a standard crumb crust method. Thinking back, I should have baked it.
The topping I didn't mess with--apparently, the Nanaimo bar is famous for its crisp top layer. It wasn't unpleasant, but it made the pie really difficult to slice. As mentioned...
To wrap it up...This is a jumping-off point. The crust was amazing. A-MAZING. The combination of coconut, walnut, cocoa and graham cracker is totally unique, and makes the dish. The pie filling? Delicious, with a subtle rum flavor and specks of vanilla bean--I'd make an actual pie next time, though--I used my new tart pan for dramatic effect and the filling is jiggly. A pie would provide more structural integrity. And topping anything with ganache is a good idea.
How would it work as a bar? I don't really know. I would like to develop it as a bar so my husband can take it to work, as I like to send him with mostly room-temperature treats. I am thinking with a slight change in the filling...
Of course, my mind immediately jumps to two things--cheesecake, and ice cream pie. That amazing crust paired with a dulce de leche ice cream and topped with chocolate fudge, or baked into a luscious vanilla bean cheesecake with a ganache topping, would be spectacular.
This has really inspired me to make some new sweets, but to keep the original make-up of the Nanaimo bar without making a mess or changing the components, I think I'd make a trifle. Chunks of baked crust, a silky vanilla and rum custard, and topped with slivers of cooled ganache, or shaved dark chocolate...oh, my. In the recipe below I am instructing you to make a pie, although my pictures are of the tart I made--your choice, if you wish to stick to tradition you can make them in an 8-inch square pan, as well.

Nanaimo Pie with Rum Custard

Crust:
10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 oz (1/3 cup) cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-Process
7 oz graham crackers (2 cups crumbs)
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup (2 oz) walnuts, toasted
pinch kosher salt

Custard:
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 egg yolks
2 cups milk plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 vanilla bean, optional
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp rum or vanilla--I used Meyer's Dark Rum

Topping:
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp butter


In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until they become coarsely chopped crumbs. Remove all but 1/4 cup to a large bowl, and add walnuts. Process until nuts are finely ground, but not to a powder or paste (by leaving the crumbs, you prevent the oils from making them into walnut butter).
Add walnuts to crumbs, and add the rest of the crust ingredients.
Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan.
Chill 20 minutes, preheat oven to 350.
Bake 8-10 minutes, until fragrant. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely cool.
Make the custard:
Prepare a bowl in an ice bath. Combine sugar, cornstarch and yolks in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice open vanilla bean and scrape out seeds, add both to saucepan. Slowly add milks, whisking to prevent lumps. Turn heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly until mixture has thickened. Turn heat to medium, and continue to cook for one minute longer. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla, and place into ice bath, stirring frequently to cool.
Once pudding has cooled slightly, remove vanilla bean. Pour through a strainer, pushing with a spatula, into a shallow container, and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once crust and pudding have cooled, about 30 minutes, pour custard into crust. Place back in fridge to cool completely, at least 1 hour.
Make topping:
Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl in microwave, 30 seconds at a time, until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly, then pour over chilled custard. Smooth with a spatula, and return to fridge. Let chill at least 3 more hours, then slice and serve. Pie will slice easier if allowed to set at room temperature for 10-25 minutes.

This Post proudly submitted to Sugar High Friday.
Thanks, Sara!

If you liked this recipe, you may also like my recipe for Nanaimo Cheesecake Bars.