Nanaimo Bars
"The Nanaimo bar—an intensely sweet 1950s-era refrigerator confection—takes its name from a city on Vancouver Island in Canada, even though it was quite possibly created in the nearby town of Ladysmith (which receives the consolation prize of being Pamela Anderson's birthplace). Some might call it Canada's national dessert, as its popularity has since spread far beyond British Columbia. The no-bake square consists of a chocolate-, almond-, and coconut-enriched graham crust supporting a dense layer of buttercream, topped with a slick of semisweet chocolate. The tricky part is eating one cleanly. The heat from one's fingers begins the Nanaimo bar's descent into deliciously melting chaos. It's best held delicately on the sides, between thumb and index finger, minimizing surface contact so each bite possesses the sugary interplay of cool chocolate, soft icing, and chewy base. —David Sax, SAVEUR contributing editor..."