How Will We Ever Get Off This Island Now? Cranberry Coconut Squares

Sadly, Russell Johnson, better known as The Professor, passed away this week. While he may not have been a professor at VIU—or a professor anywhere for that matter—he was loved by many for his vast knowledge of anything scientific, and what he could create with coconuts.

For those of you who still do not know who The Professor is and what he has to do with coconuts, allow me to travel back in time to 1964 when the TV show Gilligan's Island first aired.  The plot was formed around seven characters, one of whom was The Professor (played by Russell Johnson), who took a three-hour cruise and wound up permanently shipwrecked on an uncharted isle.  No, this was not a story of how some people took the BC Ferries Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay sailing and found out that they couldn't get back to the mainland, but rather this was a comedy (OK, so maybe there are a lot of similarities). While The Professor and the other castaways had their extended vacation on Gilligan's Island, the characters discovered that they could do almost anything with coconuts: Sweet and innocent Mary-Anne could make a coconut cream pie like nobody's business, and The Professor could make a radio that was powered by coconuts.  For some odd reason, however, they were incapable of repairing their boat with coconuts.  Nevertheless the characters on the SS Minnow managed to survive and they still live in syndication to this very day. Fortunately for us at VIU, the bakery students are also helping us to survive with their coconut creations, and in honor of the belated professor I tested a coconut cranberry square this week.

I had a craving for something sweet after lunch and decided to try a coconut cranberry square.  Mary-Anne and The Professor would have been pleased with the one that I tried.  The sweet coconut flakes on top contrasted wonderfully with the sour bite of the cranberries that had embedded themselves perfectly into the treat, just like the SS Minnow did on the beach of that uncharted isle. This flavour made me wish that I could join the castaways on Gilligan's Isle just so I would have an excuse to sample a little bit more coconut with them.

I definitely recommend the coconut cranberry squares at VIU, especially when they are freshly made.  Why freshly made? Alas, like most squares, the crust becomes soggy after a few hours in plastic wrap.  Perhaps The Professor could have invented something to prevent that…