Specialty Macarons at La Bonne Vie

OMG.  September was BAD.  I'm always busy, but the hotel was "everybody-must-work-6-or-7-days-straight-no-days-off" busy.  Couple that with some stuff going on in my life outside of work left me pretty much no time/energy to update my blog.

During September, we welcomed the new Executive Pastry Chef!  He's really cool, nice guy, very knowledgeable with a LOT of experience in the industry.  I'm really excited to learn a lot of new pastry skills from this guy! :)
....Which also meant a lot of changes in the La Bonne Vie menu as well.  He first wanted to make some changes to the macarons.  He felt that ours were drab and boring...true, except people here tend to be pretty conservative (i.e. not adventurous) when it comes to food.  But it's OK, I was craving some changes too.

First up...Tiramisu macarons!

Coffee-infused shells filled with mascarpone buttercream, topped with cocoa nibs and cocoa powder.  This was an instant hit, and so far, is as popular as salted caramel macs.

The next one, I have to admit, is my least favorite to make....the Chocolate-Mint macs

  Mint green and chocolate swirled macs filled with chocolate-mint buttercream.  Pretty, yes.  But I'm just not very fond of mint-flavored desserts/candies, period (sorry New York patties and Junior Mints fans).  The flavor reminds me too much of kid's toothpaste or chewing gum, neither of which should be ingested.  Needless to say, this is our least popular flavor :(

September also marks the beginning of football season.  We have a local university football team which (at least) half the population of Utah is a fan of...and the hotel is located just a few miles away from the university.  So during the homecoming week, we had a special promotion...

Red Velvet University of Utah macarons!  These flew off the shelves during the week.

And of course, with the upcoming Halloween and to celebrate the coming of fall...

Pumpkin macarons!  The shells are lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger.  With spiced pumpkin buttercream filling, these taste just like creamy pumpkin pie!
....But chef thought these were too drab looking.  I really hesitate to use an ungodly amount of food coloring, but if he insists....

There.  I had to add a almost 2 tablespoons of the orange powder color to achieve this hue.  But I have to admit, the Jack O' Lantern orange color make them look a lot brighter, prettier, and yes, very Halloween-y.

With addition of Halloween themed chocolate plaques, they are ready for anyone's spooky yet classy tea party!

October marks the onset of the hectic holiday season, as well as transition in the seasonality of menu items.  It's this time of the year that everything on the menu has something pumpkin.  Everything.
Thus begins the pumpkinization of La Bonne Vie...