SHOULD BE BEHIND BARS.

Hi all,

We stepped out recently to catch up with friends in the City and visited a couple of fantastic bars along the way. We're so lucky we live in an age where meeting friends for a few drinks doesn't have to involve your shoes sticking to the carpet and the smell of those little blue blocks in the urinals. (Even us females know that smell, it permeates everything!) That Melbourne is full of funky little bars isn't ground breaking.news but the choice and quality of the cocktail and wine lists was mind boggling. Strongly recommend the Tokyo Drifter from THE AVIARY - a blend of plum wine, sake & lemon. Also the Summer Sangria by the jug, a more economical way to enjoy the evening. Can't quite remember what was in it but there was definitely Vodka, wine & lychee liquor.



Also loved TRUNK in Exhibition Street. Their Zombie, a mix of dark and white rum, pineapple, apple and passionfruit juices was to die for. And then arise and come back from the dead, eat people, die, arise from the dead etc etc etc. What was also mind boggling was the array of new spirits and liqueurs on the market. There is nothing you can't get these days. Pomegranate, Coca Leaf, Passionfruit, Champagne liqueurs - the list is endless.My favourite would have to be Hypnotic Harmony - French vodka, cognac and berries. It'a a lovely purple colour reminiscent of Parfait Amour but there's nothing 70ish about the Harmony. With this in mind we're featuring our Cocktail Tee this week Great for professional Mixologists or enthusiastic home bartenders. Wear one when you host your next  party.

Cheers,

The Team at Kitchen Couture.

IT SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED!!

Hi all,

I'm serious - it shouldn't be allowed! How can we ever save for our next trip to France if people keep publishing "absolute must have" cook books. This weeks acquisition is Pierre Hermes latest book "Macarons". The recipes are arranged in sections such as - The Classics including the Inca Macaron - avocado & banana and the Americano - grapefruit, orange & Campari ( have to try that one!)  Fetish Flavours, Signatures and Exceptions. This last heading features left of field flavour combinations like foie gras & chocolate, black truffle macaron and 25 year old balsamic macaron. Can't imagine what the balsamic one would taste like, so I guess we'll just have to make that as well. This is a must have book for professional pastry chefs, committed home cooks and macaron lovers as it offers a few extraordinary tips for creating macaron perfection every time.

Don't forget we still have a few random sizes of our Macaron Tees available for ladies and men. Email us for available sizes.

We'd like to say hi to a few new customers this week. A big congratulations to Joy & Wendy  who have just taken over Cafe 22 in Proserpine, Ali & Soraya and Meredith & Ryan, both from Sydney. We'd love to see photos of your staff decked out in their KC uniforms so please send us in some piccies.


Just when you think you've seen the best of the best, along comes another fantastic French patisserie. Have you checked out the work of Sadaharu Aoki? This talented Pastry Chef trained in Japan before making his mark on the Paris food scene, opening his first shop in 1998. ( This one slipped past us somehow) He is known for his trademark of incorporating  traditional Japanese flavours such as yuzu and matcha into classic French desserts.

Here's a few snaps of his fantastic food.