Food

Emiko Davies first moved to Florence to study etching for one semester, when she was just twenty years old. Four years later, enamoured by the history and charm of the infamous city, she moved back to take up darkroom photography and art restoration. It was during this trip that she met Marco, her now-husband, and cooked him an impromptu plate of pasta that made him vow to marry her. Turns out he was onto something!

She and Marco moved back to Australia for a few years, where they had their daughter Mariù, but it wasn’t long before the Tuscany called them back. This is where they now live permanently, where the kitchen is the heart of the family, and Emiko takes photos, writes books, and authors her popular cooking blog.

This week Emiko shares her simple and comforting tagliolini con ceci, aka tagliolini with chickpeas – the ultimate Tuscan comfort food.

You know when you’re sitting at your desk, mentally calculating your annual leave days and constantly refreshing flight prices to Italy? Maybe you’ll meet a handsome stranger, you daydream! Perhaps the two of you will fall in love and just stay forever in a humble but beautiful Tuscan villa, where you learn the language, and perfect the art of perfect pasta-making with the help of a local Nonna. The life you’ve always known you deserve!

Okay, REALITY CHECK. Emiko Davies is living your fantasy. While traveling in Florence 13 years ago, she met a handsome local and never left. We first introduced you to Emiko – a foodie and author – a few weeks ago with her food-lovers mini-guide to Florence. Having penned two cookbooks (Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence, Acquacotta, and a third book on the way!) Emiko certainly knows a thing or two about authentic Tuscan cooking.

We decided we weren’t *quite* ready to let her go just yet, and invited her back for a month of truly delicious Italian recipes!

Before we get into anything we must insist that you stop what you’re doing and watch this Bundt cake scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which is possibly the humble Bundt’s most iconic moment in cinematic history.

Alright, now we’re all on the same page!

Over the course of this month, Nat Paull from Beatrix in North Melbourne has taken us on trips down memory lane with her Cocoa Meringue Roulade, delighted both our eyeballs and tastebuds with the most decadent Chocolate Creme Brûlée Tart, and transported us to afternoon tea-time at any time of the day with the perfect combination of crunchy, salty and gooey biscuits, her famous Almond Jaws.

We always knew that our time with Nat was going to come to an end, and if she must leave us, let her go out with a BUNDT.

A tiny little store nestled in the heart of North Melbourne on Queensberry Street, Beatrix is always bustling. Walking into Nat Paull’s storybook-level cute bakery feels like walking into the kitchen of your best friend (who also happens to be a world-class pastry chef).

Inside, you’ll find a gentle hubbub of loyal daily customers and delighted newcomers, sipping on tea or coffee, and nibbling on a delicious-looking something. Beatrix is just that kind of place – you can’t help but want to take a peek inside, and once inside… you just can’t leave without something sweet!

If there is one thing we can surely agree on in this crazy, messed up world, it must be the delicious-ness of creme brûlée. The sweet, smooth custard filling is universally agreeable, and that satisfying ‘crack’ of caramel could surely broker peace between the most bitter enemies.

Nat Paull from Beatrix in North Melbourne certainly thinks so. For her second offering in a month’s worth of decadent sweet treats, she brings us her outstanding chocolate creme brûlée tart.

Our art director Annie Portelli warned us not to follow Beatrix  on Instagram. ‘You’re going to want to go there every day’, she told us, but we ignored Annie’s cautionary advice and did it anyway. Turns out she was right.

Natalie Paull founded her teeny-tiny North Melbourne bakery with a rotating array of mouth-watering cakes and baked goods back in 2011. We spent a few weeks trying to invent reasons to get to Beatrix (Birthdays! Fridays! Tuesdays!) before realising we run a website that features monthly recipes – we should just bring Beatrix to us!

So we are SUPER excited to present to you with a month’s worth of sweet treats and decadent indulgences from Nat, the brains (and tastebuds!) behind Beatrix.

Returning to the office this week has us all optimistic about things like riding to work (instead of driving) and making a nice lunch everyday (instead of spending $15 on takeaway).

Join us on the lunchbox bandwagon (!) with these Pinterest-worthy lunch ideas, from our recipe archives!