oat & almond cups {breakfast or dessert}
Charlotte & the Quail may be a restaurant in the minds, but in the hearts it is like our cottage in the country. Located on the cusp of botanical garden at the HCP, our special little place is the zen oasis away from the hustle and the bustle - with a garden patio that will leave you feeling like you are on vacation in a far off land.
We are asked all the time how the name of our restaurant came about. It's really quite simple story. We have a the sweetest garden kitty, and her name is Charlotte. She claimed the restaurant as her home when the space was still Nourish. She spends most of her time peering in the window, or stretched out on the porch. She is so very loved. The daily routine here always starts with giving her a pet, a kiss, and some kibble. So alas, when Nourish out grew this garden space and moved into the heritage home in the city, Hayley knew right away she wanted to dedicate the name of the recreated restaurant to our Char Char.
The 'Quail' part of the name comes from the sweetest, funniest, goofiest little quail birds, always up to silly antics in the gardens, likely the reason for our address road name, Quayle. Put the two meaningful words together and. you have Charlotte & the Quail.
It's kind of the same creative process that brought this weeks recipe together. And, we are pretty sure it is safe to say that it might just be our favourite to date - it certainly is the prettiest! Like 'Charlotte' and the 'Quail', there are two things that offered the inspiration to pull this classic recipe from the archives. One: the rhubarb is ripe for the picking in the garden. Two: the sun kissed air means patio season has arrived.
These sweet almond & oat cups were on the very first Nourish menu, and the second they started to warm up in the oven, I could smell why they were a favourite back in the day. They actually smell like heaven. They require a bit of molding but if you don't mind getting your hands covered with oatmeal dough, they are totally worth it. We are pretty sure the kiddies will LOVE making these too! The more rustic the shape, the more charming they are!
They do freeze beautifully - so don't be shy to double the recipe - and they can be used for breakfast or dessert. Pull them out of the freezer as needed, and fill with yogurt & berries, fresh fruit & whipped cream, cottage cheese & stewed fruits, or serve them up dessert style {like we did here} with ice cream and your favourite toppings treating them as a classic cone replacement!
What you top them with can truly be endless. We have a few versions pictured here: roasted rhubarb {freshly picked from our garden}, house made blueberry & bay jam, and roasted dried apricots, drizzled honey and bee pollen sprinkles. I can imagine some kind of chocolate addition would be quite satisfying too.
With that spring rhubarb ripe for the picking in our garden, we've chosen that particular option to highlight as the special this week!
xx
oat & almond cups {breakfast or dessert}
ingredients
2.5 cups gluten free rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
1/4 tsp {and an extra pinch} salt
2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
1/2 cup whole cane sugar
1/4 cup almonds
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 pound butter
2 small eggs
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 ts cardamon
1/8 cup milk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
If you are making the baked rhubarb topping, slice rhubarb stocks into 2-3 inch sticks. Place into a shallow bowl and sprinkle generously with whole cane sugar. Stir rhubarb around in the sugar to coat. Set aside {stiring occasionally while compiling the below recipe} allowing the rhubarb to macerate.
In a food processor, blitz up almonds until they are the texture of little pebbles mixed with sand. Place into a large mixing bowl. Apply the same process to the whole oats. Place along with the almonds in the mixing bowl. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix into a crumbly dough.
In a unlined cupcake tin, fill each pod loosely to the top with the dough. Press down firmly to the bottom and then push the dough up the sides, shaping the cups to the tip of the pods. The cups should be approx. 1/2cm thick.
Place both the cups and the rhubarb in the oven and set the timer for 10 min. When the timer chimes, rotate everything 180 degrees to ensure an even bake. Set the time for an additional 5 min {up to 8min}.
Allow the cups to cool slightly, and then pop them out of the form by either pulling them with your fingers on the bottom portion of the side of the shell or with a little bearing knife. It's best to not let them cool completely or they can get a bit finicky.
Fill with goodies and ENJOY.
Love Us, Charlotte, the Quail, & Nourish
