You asked for it: Make a substitute for Northwest treat

By ANNE LONG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 25, 2001

Nanaimo is a small town on Vancouver Island, and most western Canadians are familiar with rich, delicious Nanaimo bars. In fact, their fame has traveled almost everywhere.

The combination of butter, cocoa, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, walnuts and chocolate make perfect little chilled bar cookies.

The salmon we are talking about today is canned, but it may have come from that part of the world also. Virginia McFeely asked for the recipe for salmon-cheese pie that won a $1,000 prize in the 1953 Pillsbury Bake-Off.

Josephine Detert writes that the first prize in 1953 was $25,000, and today it is $1-million. Readers sent that recipe and two others that were prize winners about the same time.

For: Bertha Messler of Clearwater.

From: Francis Drybala of Beverly Hills.

Recipe: Nanaimo bars from Jazz Cooks: Portraits and Recipes of the Greats, by Young and Stankus, 1992.

Nanaimo Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup finely grated coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Filling:

1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix

3 tablespoons milk

Topping:

2 2-ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate

2 2-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1 tablespoon butter

To prepare the crust, grease a 9-inch-square baking pan. In the top of a double boiler over hot water, melt the butter. Add the sugar, cocoa, egg and vanilla and stir to combine thoroughly. Remove from the heat and stir in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill.

To prepare the filling, cream the butter. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla pudding mix. Beat well. Add the milk and beat until the mixture has a smooth consistency. Spread over the graham cracker crust. Chill.

To prepare the topping, in the top of a double boiler over hot but not simmering water, melt the chocolates with the butter. Remove from the heat and spread over the filling. Chill for several hours, then cut into bars. Makes 16 bars.

For: Virginia McFeely of Spring Hill.

From: Josephine Detert of Largo and Carole Carson of Treasure Island.

Recipe: $1,000 salmon-cheese pie, third prize junior contest, Pillsbury Bake-Off, 1953.

$1,000 Salmon-Cheese Pie

2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup solid shortening

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 1-pound can salmon

1 tablespoon grated onion

2 tablespoons salmon juice

1/3 pound cheese, thinly sliced

Vegetable sauce:

1/4 cup butter or margarine (1/2 stick)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups any desired cooked green vegetable or garnish with 1/4 cup chopped parsley

To prepare pie, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine eggs and milk; beat well. Add to dry ingredients and mix only until all flour is moistened.

Roll out 2/3 of dough on well-floured pastry cloth or board to 11-inch circle. Fit into 9-inch pie pan or layer cake pan.

Drain salmon, saving 2 tablespoons juice. Flake salmon into bowl, removing skin and bones. Add grated onion and reserved salmon juice. Turn into biscuit-lined pan. Cover with cheese.

Roll out remaining 1/3 of dough into 7-inch circle. Place on top of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees 20-30 minutes.

Serve hot with vegetable sauce. Serves 6.

To prepare vegetable sauce, melt butter in saucepan. Blend in flour and mustard; mix well. Add milk gradually. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Add salt and green vegetable or garnish with chopped parsley.

From: Jean Tamanian of Clearwater.

Recipe: Simple salmon pie, from 100 Grand National Recipes, Pillsbury's Best Eighth Grand National Contest in the 1950s.

Simple Salmon Pie

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup solid shortening

5-6 tablespoons cold water

Salmon filling:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk (can used diluted evaporated milk)

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1-pound can salmon, skin and bones removed, broken into large pieces

1 4-ounce can coarsely chopped pimiento

3/4 cup drained cooked peas (canned, or half of 10-ounce package frozen peas)

To make crust, sift together the flour and salt into mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 5-6 tablespoons cold water over mixture while tossing and stirring lightly with fork. Add water to driest particles, pushing lumps to side until dough is just moist enough to hold together. Divide in half. Form into balls. Flatten to about 1/2-inch thickness; smooth dough at edges.

Roll out one portion on floured surface to a circle 11/2 inches larger than inverted 8- or 9-inch pie pan. Fit loosely into pan.

To make salmon filling, melt butter or margarine in 2-quart saucepan. Blend in flour. Gradually add milk; cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add egg yolk, salt, pepper, salmon pieces, pimiento and peas.

Turn into pastry-lined pie pan. Roll out remaining dough; cut slits for escape of steam. Place over filling; seal and flute. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Makes 8- or 9-inch pie.

From: Audrey Juergens of Tarpon Springs.

Recipe: Seaside supper from the 11th Bake-Off cookbook, which sold for 25 cents.

Seaside Supper

2 medium potatoes, boiled and sliced (1 cup)

4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

1 1-pound can salmon, drained, bones and skin removed

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 101/2-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups milk

Biscuit topping:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup solid shortening

1 egg, slightly beaten

2/3 cup milk

In 2 1/2-quart casserole, place alternate layers of potatoes, hard-cooked eggs, salmon and chopped parsley.

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour, salt and cayenne pepper; stir until smooth. Add cream of mushroom soup and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour over ingredients in casserole. Top with rounded tablespoonfuls of biscuit topping. Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serves 8-10.

To make biscuit topping, sift together flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until particles are the size of small peas. Combine egg and milk. Add all at once to dry ingredients; mix until all dry particles are moistened.

You Asked For It is a reader mail column. If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to You Asked For It, the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

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