If you live in Chicago, you may be familiar with Floriole, the award-winning bakery and cafe. The bakery started out as a small stand in the city’s Green Street Market where it sold decadent French pastries. Upon opening their brick-and-mortar Lincoln Park location in 2010, they added a seasonally-driven menu featuring salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and even more pastries using organic ingredients and locally sourced sustainable produce, meats, and cheeses. Their current menu includes a Twice-Baked Almond Croissant soaked with Rum Syrup and filled with Almond Cream, a Buckwheat and Oat Scone served with House Jam, a Maple Pecan Cookie Flavored with Orange, and a Parisian Sandwich made with Smoking Goose Ham, Raw Milk Cheddar, Butter and Old Fashioned Mustard served on a Baguette. With mouthwatering dishes like these it’s no wonder they’ve achieved accolades such as Fodor’s Top 10 Bakeries across the U.S. and Bon Appetite magazine’s Top 10 Baguettes in America.
You don’t need to travel across the country to enjoy a taste of their scrumptious food as they’ve generously shared one of their favorite breakfast recipes with us. Their unique Olive Oil Granola is loaded with good-for-you ingredients like flax pumpkin seeds, dried fruits, nuts and boasts a ton of flavor. We’ll be making a double batch for our morning meal!
Floriole’s Olive Oil Granola
Serves eight
Ingredients:
3 c. rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 c. pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas)
¼ c. flax seed
¾ c. grade B maple syrup
½ c. olive oil (if your olive oil has a strong flavor, use ¼ c. olive oil and ¼ c. neutral oil like grapeseed or sunflower)
¾ tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ c. dried cherries
¼ c. chopped dates
¾ c. toasted pecans
Instructions:
Step 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or oiled parchment paper.
Step 2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for cherries, and dates. Mix until homogenous.
Step 3. Spread mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
Step 4. Remove from oven and stir. Bake 20 minutes more and stir again.
Step 5. Let the granola cool for 20 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl. When it’s cooled completely, add cherries, pecans and chopped dates. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to a month.
