Flavour Profile: Taro Blueberry

We've got some beautiful, new marbled Taro and Blueberry Macarons for you! What is taro, some might ask? It's a root crop (like yams!) that is grown in loads of different, often tropical countries around the world. It tastes a lot like vanilla and one of its most common uses 'round these parts is as a bubble tea flavour. These would look amazing on any table. Or on a picnic blanket. Or in your hand for the 10 seconds they last after you take them out of the box to eat them ;) We were also thinking it's been a while since we posted a recipe, and it sorrrt of feels like it might be a cozy, pancakes kind of weekend (must be the rain and that ever so slightly fall-ish feel) so we tracked down what looks like an excellent "Oven-Baked Blueberry Pancake" recipe on good old MarthaStewart.com.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 3/4 cup whole milk 1 large egg, room temperature 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for pan 1 cup blueberries (about 5 ounces) Confectioners' sugar, for serving Maple syrup, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in upper third. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or other nonstick ovenproof pan) in oven. Whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together milk, egg, and melted butter in another bowl. Whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined.
2. Remove skillet from oven and add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, swirling to coat. Pour in batter and smooth top with an offset spatula. Sprinkle evenly with blueberries and remaining 1 teaspoon granulated sugar.
3. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool 5 minutes before dusting with confectioners' sugar and serving with syrup.

Flavour Profile: Cotton Candy

Aren't these beautiful!! If we do say so ourselves...  Hot on the heels of our Bubble Gum Macarons, we're keeping things super sweet this weekend, with Cotton Candy Macarons! Time for a fun food fact: the machine spun cotton candy we know today was apparently created by a dentist. It hit the scene at the 1904 world fair, where it was called "Fairy Floss". Cute! (Spun sugar, though, dates to as far back as sometime in the Italian 15th century.) This seems like the perfect time to share some work from American artist: Will Cotton.

Flavour Profile: Bubble Gum

 The weekend is off to kind of a grey start—so we thought you could use something bright and playful. Something like bubble gum macarons! This flavour was such a hit last time it was in the shop we just had to bring it back. It's officially available againg in our Victoria location! While you may not be able to blow bubbles with our macarons, they also will not pop and get stuck in your hair/eyelashes/nostrils, which we consider a perk!

Flavour Profile: Lemon Poppyseed

We're so thrilled to have just opened our second Bon Macaron location in Vancouver. Thank you so much to everyone who was able to make it by our opening party last night, and to everyone for your support in getting us to this exciting place. But of course all the excitement wasn't about to get in the way of us launching a our new weekly flavour! Next up for you, we have some bright, beautiful lemon poppyseed macarons. Lemon poppyseed is a  classic dessert flavour, and we though it was high time for a macaron version!

Have a wonderful weekend—come by and see us in either our Victoria, or our Vancouver patisseries!

Flavour Profile: Rhubarb

Happy Friday! This weekend you get to sink your teeth into some slightly tart and lightly sweet Rhubarb Macarons!  Rhubarb just seems like the essence of warm, relaxed summer gardens these days, but way back in the murky depths of time it was a *very* hot commodity. A C.1404 report from a Spanish ambassador stationed in Timur claimed: "The best of all merchandise coming to Samarkand was from China: especially silks, satins, musk, rubies, diamonds, pearls, and rhubarb..." (Our emphasis.) So don't underestimate the value of these macarons! ;) We'll leave you with one more awesome rhubarb-related fact: traditionally, when British stage and film actors needed to simulate the sound of background chatter they would all repeat the word 'rhubarb' over and over again—and sometimes someone would punctuate things by saying 'custard'! Just picture everyone running around the stage of London's Globe Theatre  all, "Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb"

Enjoy the long weekend :)

Flavour Profile: Very Berry

We were *just* talking about how macarons are like art, and our in-house macaron artistes have done it again. How lovely are these Very Berry Macarons?? They are blueberry, raspberry and strawberry, all tumbled into one delicious morsel. And, AND our new marshmallow flavour is pineapple. All in all, there's practically too much mouthwatering delectable goodness in the shop to handle. Come help!

Bastille Day Crème Brûlée Macarons

Happy Bastille Day! We've made you a big, beautiful batch of red, white and blue crème brûlée macarons. (Yes, we said crème brûlée :D)Celebrated every 14th of July since 1880, Bastille Day commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille, and the start of the French Revolution. It's like Canada Day, but French.  Celebrated by French expats and Francophiles around the world, Bastille Day also means you get to wear stripes and/or a beret, and eat all the macarons you want, all day. Those are the Official Rules! ;)

Flavour Profile: Key Lime

Great news everyone—our latest flavour is Key Lime! Rumour (aka Wikipedia) has it that key lime pies actually originated just off the Florida Keys on the boats of sponge fishermen, early in the 20th century. On the sea for days, the fishermen would typically have supplies like condensed milk, key limes, and eggs. But they didn't have ovens, and the neat thing about key lime pie is that it technically doesn't need cooking because of a reaction between the acidity in lime juice and condensed milk. Most versions today are cooked, though, as are our Key Lime Macarons!

Canada Day Macarons! Maple Bacon & Maple Caramel

Tomorrow is Canada Day! In honour of the occasion we have concocted a couple of distinctly Canadian delicacies: Maple Bacon Macarons, and Maple Caramel Macarons, which will be available July 1st! It's kind of like a pancake breakfast you can eat with your fingers... And a box of these is scientifically guaranteed to make you the hit of the barbeque. They also help pass the time while you're staking out your rockstar fireworks spot!

And this Canada Day is extra special for Bon Macaron—it's David's first as a Canadian citizen! Here's an excerpt from the feature we did on David a few weeks ago, about coming to Canada and opening Bon Macaron.

"I was born and raised in Cannes, in the South of France. When I was around fifteen I took a trip to Canada with my Mom—every summer we took a trip together. We did the East first and we enjoyed it so much that the following year we did the West. One part of that trip was coming Victoria, and I loved it. It’s really similar to where I grew up. I’ve always liked the island lifestyle, being surrounded by water. I love diving, I love sailing. One thing I’ll always remember is, we were walking along the harbour here—I was fifteen, right?—and a big group of skater girls walked by, and started to whistle at me. The second after that I looked at my mom and I told her, “You know what? One day I’ll come back and live here.”  I was young, I was a teenager, it was a good experience. But there really was something particular about the island, something about the energy, the feel of the place. I just knew I was supposed to be here."

AW. Happy Canada Day, David.

Come in sometime soon and give him a big, congratulatory Canadian bear hug!

Read the full feature on David, one of our owners, here.

Flavour Profile: Whiskey & Chocolate

Whiskey and chocolate is the new wine and cheese. It’s true! A Mr. Greg Clark of executivestyle.com.au assures us that at the renowned London hotel The Connaught, you can secure yourself a dram of whiskey paired with chocolate for a mere £50!

Or, OR… you could pop in Bon Macaron and secure yourself a whiskey and chocolate pairing in the form of our latest macaron for… $1.50. Just saying :)

In case you are inspired to try some of your own tastings, though, here’s a handy guide we sourced from Brix Chocolate:

Extra Dark (70%) Pairs well with strong, spicy whiskies, generally aged in sherry casks Bruichladdich Octomore, Amrut, Nant Tasmanian Single Malt unpeated Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, cognac and armagnac

Medium Dark (60%) Pairs well with smoky, spicier whiskies, generally aged in sherry casks: Talisker Storm Scotch Whisky, Chiva Regal 12 year old, Yamazaki 12 year old single malt Japanese whisky, Bowmore Scotch Whisky, Drambuie 15 year old Scotch Whisky Liqueur

Smooth Dark (54%) Pairs with smooth, sweeter whiskies aged in bourbon casks: Glen Moray 12 year old, The Dubliner Irish Whiskey Liqueur, Poitin Irish Whiskey, Tasmanian Lark Single Malt

Milk Chocolate (46%) Pairs with whisky liqueurs and smooth, sweeter whiskies with caramel and/or vanilla tones, often aged in bourbon casks: Drambuie, Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Glen Grant 16 year old, Starwood, Glenlivet 12 year old Scotch

Sláinte, friends!

Father's Day

Dads like delicious things too. This is a fact. So we've created a few awesome, sporty treats for all the fathers and grandfathers: Whiskey & Chocolate Footballs, Bourbon & Caramel Baseballs, and Rum & Coke Hockey Pucks. You don't even have to choose because they all come together in one handy, gift-wrappable package!

This also seems like an excellent opportunity to revisit a French Canadian children's classic: Roch Carrier's The Hockey Sweater—or, in French, Le Chandail de hockey. 

The official Library and Archives of Canada have included this iconic children's tale on their resources site, describing:

"In its earlier days, the National Hockey League had only a few teams worthy of attention  --  many would say only one: the Montréal Canadiens. The brightest star, and most popular player, in the Canadiens' line-up was Number 9: Maurice Richard. It is easy to understand the distress of the young narrator in this story when, one day in the winter of 1946, he must exchange his red hockey sweater, which looks just like Maurice Richard's, for a new, blue Toronto Maple Leafs sweater!!! A medley of emotions  --  disappointment, bitterness, humour, and tenderness  --  is richly explored in Sheldon Cohen's full-page illustrations which perfectly complement the poignancy and playfulness of the text."

From a kid's point of view, Dad reading to you is just the best thing ever :)

Flavour Profile: Cherry Vanilla

Our latest flavour is like a cherry sundae for people who can’t eat dairy. Or for anyone who likes the taste of cherry sundaes! Our dairy free cherry vanilla macarons are made with cherry compote and have tasty, tiny bits of real fruit throughout. They’re so darn lovely that this week we decided to just focus on looks: here are a few late afternoon, cherry blossom/japanese garden inspired shots. Have a beautiful (and delicious) weekend!

Flavour Profile: Pomegranate Orange

This week’s flavour is very simple and completely gorgeous. Pomegranates and oranges are so lovely they’ve long been inspiration for not only the culinary arts, but for generations of still life painters. So here's an orange and pomegranate laden canvas from the Dutch Golden Age Painting. Basically what we’re saying is these macarons are edible art! (nbd.)

Flavour Profile: Mocha

Your weekend just got sooo much more delicious. :) Our latest flavour is rich and gorgeous and wonderful. That's probably because it’s made from two of the most satisfying, addictive things out there: coffee and chocolate. And we thought we’d try something a little different this week… we’re pairing these macarons with music! “Caffe Mocha” is a Kenyan radio show hosted by Jack Rooster that hits the airwaves every Sunday, with beautiful, soulful house. Check out this episode archived on mixcloud!

Flavour Profile: Black Sesame

Open Sesame! This week’s flavour is pretty much magical. Sesame seeds are one of humanity’s oldest crops, appearing in ancient Babylonian and Assyrian records that date back 4000 years. An Assyrian legend holds when the gods gathered to create the world, they drank wine made from sesame seeds! And ancient Egyptians actually listed them as a medicinal drug in papyrus scrolls which are at least 3600 years old. It seems a bit funny to think of sesame as ‘medicine’ but it turns out the Egyptians weren’t wrong: modern nutritionists have recently been touting sesame’s superfood qualities, which include loads of minerals and vitamins, like calcium and iron. Now we’re not promising these macarons are going to completely cure whatever might be ailing you… but happiness certainly never hurt anyone and these rich, beautiful morsels have sure been putting smiles on our faces. Think of the sesame snaps you had as a kid just, like, on a whole new level :)

Flavour Profile: Daiquiri

This means lime and rum, friends. What better way to celebrate a long weekend??

The world’s most famous daiquiri aficionado is non other than legendary booze hound and genius author, Mr. Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway spent a lot of his life in Cuba, and when he was there he could often be found at one particular little bar, chain drinking daiquiris—his record was apparently sixteen in one night! That bar is still in Havana. Now called El Floridita, it opened in 1817 under the name The Silver Pineapple (“La Piña de Plata”).  (Best name ever.) We’d of course advise moderation with both your drinks and your desserts, but should you accidentally consume sixteen daiquiri macarons in a row (happens to the best of us!) we’re pretty sure you’ll still be in better shape than Hemingway was that legendary night! A toast to long weekends with long, relaxed days, and, if you’re in the mood, long, sociable nights. Enjoy.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raspberry-Rose, Strawberry-Rhubarb & Champagne!

Mother's Day is Sunday! And we have a really special treat for Victoria's wonderful mothers: Very pretty gift packages that include an "I love you, Mom" Champagne Macaron, a "Rose" Raspberry-Rose Macaron, and a great big Strawberry Rhubarb flower-shaped Macaron! (If you happen to be one of Victoria's wonderful mothers, you can simply send the link for this post to your loved ones for handy gift-finding reference.  ;) )

Flavour Profile: Cassis Lemon

This week’s new flavour is *stunning*, if we say so ourselves! We’re using a real cassis fruit purée and lemon zest. There's so much flavour packed into those tiny berries—otherwise known as black currants—that when you use them for baking the results are absolutely mouth watering. And they’re so full of vitamin C that during WWII, when citrus fruits were difficult to import, the English government distributed free black currant syrup to families with children under 2 years old! We know we had some beverage recipes for you just last week, but we can’t not mention that these lovelies would pair beautifully with a Kir Royale: Champagne with a splash of the classic French liquor, creme de cassis.

That was the recipe, by the way. Just champagne and creme de cassis. So simple. :) You can click on the glass for a bit more preparation detail, though. 

Cheers to Fridays!

Flavour Profile: Sangria

So, it's been classic West Coast weather the past few days, what with the rain and the sun and the rain and the hot and the cold and the sort of warmish air with a cool breeze... the good news is we've got both angles covered this week—the hot and sunny, and the cool and cozy—with Sangria Macarons and London Fog Marshmallows. The way things have been going you'll probably want to stock up on both!

Feel like you might want to sip while you nibble? If the sun prevails, Minimalist Baker has an awesome looking recipe for (and pictures of!) 5 Ingredient Spanish Sangria, and if it's feeling cool out there, Gimme Some Oven has a great method for making your own London Fog Latte (and also great pictures!) They are both fantastic blogs in general—definitely check them out.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends. And don't forget to layer!!

Minimalist Baker's 5-INGREDIENT SPANISH SANGRIA

"A fruity, slightly spicy red sangria with Spanish Tempranillo wine and loads of fruit. We like to call it 5-ingredient heaven."

PREP TIME 10 mins TOTAL TIME 10 mins

Author: Minimalist Baker Recipe type: Beverage Cuisine: Spanish Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS 1 bottle red Spanish wine (we recommend El Cortijillo, Tempranillo 2011) 1 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 pineapple, chopped (roughly 1 cup) 1 orange, sliced into thin rounds and then halved 1/2 pear, cubed

INSTRUCTIONS Slice fruit and drop into a large pitcher. Add orange juice, then wine and stir. Refrigerate until serving - 4-6 hours would be ideal so the flavors can mingle. Drink within 1-2 days.

Gimme Some Oven's LONDON FOG TEA LATTE (EARL GREY LATTE)

"This London Fog tea latte recipe is so simple to make homemade, and it is full of rich, comforting flavour."

PREP: 2 MINS COOK: 3 MINS TOTAL: 5 MINS

INGREDIENTS 1 cup (8 oz.) strongly-brewed earl grey tea, brewed with 1/2 tsp. dried lavender 1/2 cup (4 oz.) steamed milk* (any kind) 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar**, or more or less to taste 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Brew earl grey tea and lavender together, and steep for 3 minutes (or according to tea instructions). Remove tea bag and strain out the lavender. Stir in remaining ingredients until combined. Serve warm.

*If you -- like me -- do not have a milk steamer, you can just heat the milk in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it is simmering but not boiling. (Very important - do not let the milk boil!)

**You can use any kind of sweetener for this tea

Flavour Profile: Rooibos Chai

Our latest flavour is Rooibos Chai: light, sweet and spiced, all at the same time! The rooibos bush is native to South Africa's Fynbos biome, a belt of incredibly bio-diverse heathland. Out of the 9000 plants that grow there, 6200 of them—including Rooibos—grow nowhere else in the world. It's a stunningly beautiful region, as demonstrated below, and has produced miraculous flowers like South Africa's national bloom, the king protea. So it's no surprise that it's also home to such wonderful red tea. The handpicked variety we use comes to us via our friends at JagaSilk. And rooibos is meant to be very good for you, so these macarons are extra guilt-free!