Love Bars

 

I know that our sense of smell is supposed to be the sense most strongly linked to memory, but I think you'll all agree that certain foods can act as little time machines, zooming us back to a time and place buried in the past. Love Bars, which are sold at Pret A Manger (a sandwich chain in the UK that sells really tasty to-go meals), have this time machine effect on me; one bite and I'm back on the slow train to Chelmsford, eating my lunch after a long morning in the library. The ironic thing is that I would've been in the library researching nostalgia - the subject of my thesis - and now I'm waxing nostalgic about the delicious treats I enjoyed after studying (...and before studying, and during studying).

I finally found a recipe for these Love Bars that comes straight from the source (well actually, a secondary source as I can't seem to buy the Pret cookbook in Canada) and I've been dying to try it out. I even found a jar of Lyle's golden syrup at Bulk Barn - I figured it would make the recipe that much more authentic, but you can also use Roger's golden syrup which is much easier to find in grocery stores here. 

These bars take a little while to make - you have to account for some cooling time - but they're relatively simple to put together. Plus they're sooooo luscious. "More-ish" as the Brits would say. They're made up of a layer of dark chocolate, almonds, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds embedded in gooey caramel, on top of a dense, moist layer of flapjack (golden syrup-baked oats). The combination of textures and flavours is gorgeous and rich. I could eat a whole pan of this stuff. 

Maybe I can't transport myself back to 2011 England in the blink of an eye, and nor do I want to, honestly. I like my life now. But that doesn't stop me from taking the best parts of those times - the good food, the interesting friends, the fun and weird adventures - and indulging in a little nostalgia now and then. 

Love Bars à la Pret
Makes 1 8x8 inch pan, 1 or 2 dozen bars
Recipe from Pret DYI, posted on Nigella.com's community forum, slighty adapted

Flapjack Base
150 grams golden syrup
1 tablespoon honey
200 grams butter
350 grams rolled oats
60 grams soft brown sugar

Topping
60 grams soft dark brown sugar
130 ml whipping cream
60 grams room temperature butter
35 grams pumpkin seeds
45 grams dark chocolate chips (I used Callebault) 
35 grams shelled pistachios
35 grams slivered almonds

To make the base: Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C and grease an 8x8" or 9x9" baking pan. In a food processor, whiz together the oats and brown sugar for 3 to 5 seconds, to rough the oats up a bit. You don't need to do this step, but it helps the base stay together a little better when baked. Set this mixture aside. In a large saucepan, warm the golden syrup, butter and honey over low heat, whisking all the while until well combined. Add in the oat mixture and mix thoroughly. Pack the mixture evenly into your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden. As soon as you take it out of the oven, gently pack it down again with the back of a spoon, then place on a rack to cool completely. 

To make the topping: Place the cream and dark brown sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and put over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Keep gently whisking, and boil for about 5 minutes (I timed this on my oven to make it easier); you're looking for it to thicken up and turn from light brown, to gold, to medium gold, but no darker (i.e. burnt). Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until it's melted and combined. Let this cool for 1 minute, then pour over the flapjack base and spread evenly with a spoon. While it's still warm, sprinkle the nuts, chocolate, and pumpkin seeds evenly over top. 

Allow to cool completely, then cut into squares or rectangles. I wrapped some in parchment and put them in the freezer for later, but they're so good fresh - keep them in an airtight container and try not to eat every last crumb in one sitting. It'll be hard not to.