Emma Knowles

March/April dump - work/play/eat/drink. 1, 2 & 19 new recipes for @colessupermarkets shot beautifully by @jamesmoffattphotography with styling by the ever wonderful @stevepearcestylist & @foodbyjessica - think warm vanilla pudding with saffron pears, sticky miso apples with crunchy crumble plus spiced rice pudding 3 schnitzel cover goodness! 📸@bendearnley with recipe by @hobbssee & styling by me 4 home-cooking. Lasagne-ish 5 & 6 new work for @gourmettraveller shot by fave @bendearnley with recipes & styling by me & @maxwelladey & @melburge on the pans. This 4-choc brownie is insanely addictive, one of my fave recipes of late 7, 8 & 9 Melb with Roo to see Westwood/Kawakubo in its last days @ngvmelbourne - immersive & extraordinary. Plus the longest, most delicious lunch @marionwinebar with one of my favourite people in the world. Heaven 10 Emily Dickinson. Sigh 11 texture/colour inspo @thestandardxmelbourne 12 pocket pic randomness that I love so much - I think this was a martini @club.fontana 13 & 14 cheese pie (omfg so good) & performative plonk with beauty @lucytweedcreative @ester_au remains one of my favourite Sydney restaurants. Can do no wrong 15 juicy fruit out-take 16 @jane13barnes @jimmybarnesofficial iconic Jane Barnes Band Bowral gig ♥️ 17 @fatfreddysdropnz take me back. What a show. Based On A True Story 18 testing testing testing 20 lemon sumac tart for @colessupermarkets shot by light-master @jeremysimons_photographer recipe @gemma.luongo with @hobbsee on the pans. Styling & hand-modelling by me Not pictured: swims + snuggly cats + an epic 70th iconic birthday celebration + art class + love + old friends + new friends + surrogate dogs + long phone calls + blessings + the joys of long weekends (3 books in 2 days, yes please)

New work. A little taste of the chocolate recipe feature I wrote & styled for the current issue @gourmettraveller Shot so beautifully by @bendearnley (that glorious light!) And a total treat to work with @melburge on the pans and @jacinabox on CD Big big thanks to the gorgeous @maxwelladey for getting me on board 1 red wine pear & chocolate tart: bitter chocolate pastry, boozy chocolate-hazelnut frangipane & red wine-poached pears 3 chocolate Dutch baby with tangy roast rhubarb & salted milk chocolate-caramel sauce 4 choc chip tahini cookies sandwiched with tahini ganache

Jan/Feb/some of March….how did we get here? work/play, love/loss/life 1 new work for @colessupermarkets - the lushest chocolate tart by @gemma.luongo made by @hobbssee with always gorgeous 📸 @bendearnley & styling by me CD @torylattin @mrs_______s @jacqui_kwong 2&3 hot weather faves. 📸 @bendearnley @gemma.luongo in the kitchen & recipes & styling by me 4&5 perfect summer holiday vibes. Low-key & lazy, books, snacks & 3 swim days. Heaven 6 summer holiday dessert: coconut tres leches, mango, lime & spiced rum caramel 7 great merch 8&9 Easter preview 10 birthday love with @loupog ♥️♥️♥️ 11 goodbye beautiful Boo - 19 years & way more than 9 lives 12 celebrating @lucytweedcreative ✨✨✨ @seansbondi never misses 13 remembering @jerriejoy - so much love in this room for such a bright beautiful spirit 14 my girl 15 birthday flowers @jimmycallaway & thoughtful gifts. Lucky lucky lucky 16,17,18&19 music music music - Nick, Lucy & diva Grace 20 remedy, medicine, bliss

A few snaps from the Christmas issue of @colessupermarkets . Fortunate enough to work with some of the best in the business. Styling @emmatknowles & @stevepearcestylist Thanks to all the peeps behind the scenes @mediumrarecontent @colessupermarkets @torylattin @mrs_______s @jenreyes02 @brownbird19 @caitlindesigns_ Foodie legends @hobbssee @foodbyjessica @kerrie.ray.180 @theressa.klein @gemma.luongo

Yep, it’s hot. Frozen treats - oldies and newies - to pretend we can beat it. Lick the screen ❄️🧊🍦🍧 1 mango-vanilla pops with crushed meringue for @colessupermarkets - gorgeous pic @bendearnley recipe & styling by me 2, 6 & 7 scoop & drizzle & throw around some honeycomb & sprinkles - outtake from a chaotic and fun cover shoot for @colessupermarkets 📸 @bendearnley and mess-making by me 3 a fave from years ago for @gourmettraveller - salted caramel soft serve. Recipe & melty, drippy food styling mine, styling @vanessaaustinstylist & 📸 @bendearnley 4 bbq pineapple with frosty frosty granita. Gorgeous recipe @lucyfoodbuzz & dreamy pic @conpoulos_photographer with styling by you know who 5 another oldie & goodie for @gourmettraveller - peach Melba popsicles with raspberry sherbet dip. Styling @vanessaaustinstylist & 📸 @bendearnley & recipe & food styling by me 8 last of the flashbacks! 🍍🍋‍🟩deliciousness frostiness - recipe & styling yours truly, 📸 @bendearnley

Some of December…… 1&2 lost count of how many hams I’ve styled/shot this year. It’s gotta be over 50. This ultra-glossy beauty for @colessupermarkets shot by @bendearnley with styling & hand-modelling (in a fave shirt) by me. CD @torylattin and ham magic @kerrie.ray.180 3, 4 & 5 silhouettes, the perfect pasta twirl & excellent dirty martinis with favourites @10williamst to celebrate the end of the work year. This place never disappoints & wears its 15 years in the business well 6 experimenting. Tahini + dark chocolate + burnt butter = salty sweet chewy bliss 7 raspberry cheesecake pannettone deliciousness by @hobbssee for @colessupermarkets with always beautiful 📸 @bendearnley & stack/drizzle/styling by me. Check out previous post for bts of the scaffolding - sometimes my job is ridiculous (in a good way) 8 disco twins @jimmycallaway 🪩🪩🪩🪩with beautiful work by @littlefrankiestattoo 9 a return trip to @grandfathersrestaurant - just as good the second time. The MSG martini is can’t miss, as was the company 10 just epic. @jimmybarnesofficial @jane13barnes at the Opera House forecourt. Truly iconic. 11 & 12 @loylecarner also at the Opera House forecourt. Such a beautiful show. The blurriness of the second pic may be indicative of my general vibe that night, or maybe my lens was dirty as usual 13 & 14 pink drinks/fun fizz & snacks @pnvmerchants - the service is as excellent as the food & vibe. So good I went back a week later 15 favourite place 16 new work for @sonomabakery shot by @bendearnley styling by me. Calamansi lime danish deliciousness 17 @bellabruttapizza beauty 💚💚💚 18 forecourt again. @boyandbear never miss 19 & 20 @foodbyjessica food gift beauty. 📸 @bendearnley and styling by me. Pretty & can’t-stop-won’t-stop good Not pictured: Snocaps on repeat Swims in the rain Sunburn & tan lines after falling asleep on the beach A week of girl dinner while Roo was away - sometimes I love eating the same thing four days in a row Pangs of missing Dad - another Xmas without him A tipsy phone conversation with an old friend on the walk home from dinner - heart-filling

Making & decorating @helen_goh_bakes gorgeous Christmas cake for our @goodfoodau shoot had me reminiscing. Mum made wedding cakes in the 70s, making the cakes from scratch - soaking the fruit in brandy for weeks at a time, folding it into the brown sugar-rich batter and tying thick layers of newspaper around the cake tins to protect the cakes as they baked. Soaked with more booze, they’d then be enrobed with layers of marzipan and fondant. She’d spend hours crafting the most incredible sugar flowers and piping mind-blowingly ornate lacework and embellishment. She’d pipe our initials on each of our hands for us to lick off. I remember her calm and focus, her steady hand, even as we four kids pestered her for a lick of the bowl, or an offcut of fondant (explains my disgusting love of the stuff - I’ve been known to eat it in lieu of dinner when at my most sugar-addicted. I’m fine now!). Prepping for this shoot, I had the music on and a gin to hand, the house to myself. As I rolled out the marzipan and smoothed out the air bubbles, I realised these actions had never been taught - rather I’d absorbed them into memory after watching Mum, time after time. Kneading the colouring into the fondant, watching it marble and swirl beneath my hands until the most delicate shade of pistachio emerged. But the piping? That’s a whole other story. Perhaps the gin wasn’t the best idea, but the work of piping is not my forte, and certainly doesn’t hold a candle to Mum’s meticulousness and artistry, let alone her patience. I remain in awe xxxx 1 @helen_goh_bakes Christmas cake for @goodfoodau - baking & styling by me, always gorgeous photography @steve.brownphotography 2 delicate shotgun 3 not perfect 4&5 pics from Mum’s cake album. Check out the fur-trimmed hood and that fat blue velvet bow tie - soooo 70’s💙 6&7 Mum’s notebook on icing techniques. That beautiful hand-writing♥️

Some of November….. 1 Biscoff of my dreams: white Christmas recipe for @colessupermarkets by @gemma.luongo 📷 @bendearnley styling by me 2 more Biscoff dreams. Truffles this time. Same credits as above 3 stack, dollop, drizzle: fruit mince pies with the cutest little peak of cream on top, perfectly captured by @bendearnley styling by me 4 Olivia Dean pink perfection. Sigh 💕💗 5 the finest crostata al limone @vincenzos_sydney with fave @lucytweedcreative 🍋🍸💛 6 wrestling anyone? @grandfathers_axe 7 the fleeting beauty of lily of the valley 8 dawn’s peachy glow 9 knickerbocker glory with @nadineingram @joestavernsydney - heaven! 10 scream singing anthemic euphoria at Sam Fender 11 detritus from a super-fun cover shoot day (all will be revealed…..) 12 BTS ridiculousness: the things we do for a great pic. Scaffolding and bolstering in the name of beauty 13 accidental sparkle pic 14 Dec goals Not pictured: So many swims, so many glorious early morning meanderings Landmark birthday of an old friend New tattoos ✨✨✨ Re-connecting with a teenage boyfriend and the realisation that we don’t really change all that much Puppy cuddles Family dinners Working my way through the pile of books by my bed Getting out of my comfort zone

Some of October……. 1 layer upon layer. Sometimes a simple sandwich is not so simple. This mega-beauty was scaffolded & stuffed, primped & poked, and I admit to holding my breath as the shot was taken, hoping it wouldn’t topple. BTS was ridiculous - the whole thing held up with paper towel, bluetac & skewers. Gorgeous recipe with the pillowiest focaccia from @hobbssee & pic by @bendearnley 2 hot weather deliciousness from @hobbssee - hard to beat the combo of sweet juicy watermelon 🍉, salty feta & crunchy cucumber. Heaven. 📷 @bendearnley 3 same sandwich in all it’s cover-worthy glory 4 @justinnarayan delicious Diwali saffron-spiked tres leches for @goodfoodau - SO good! @steve.brownphotography excelling as always, @jimmycallaway on the tools & vibes, hand-modelling & styling by me 5 shimmering heat & sweet relief 6 BTS lighting test stand-in in one of my fave dresses 📷 @bendearnley 7 Easter already, while shooting the last of Christmas. No wonder I don’t even know what day it is! 8 favourite place 9 danger zone. These martinis go down like water @grandfathersrestaurant 10 accidental pic but I love this hot & hazy vibe 11 pretty delicate passenger 12 note to self (and anyone else who needs to hear it) Not pictured: my bright red eye as a result of a burst blood vessel - Halloween came early! dinners, lunches, walks, long phone calls & quiet moments with loved ones bone-deep exhaustion & a week-long headache the euphoria that comes when said headache lifts as much reading and music as I can possibly devour cat cuddles cooking with & for friends

September (or some of it). Old work re-discovered, on-set glimpses, spring dawn and spritzy vibes. 1&2 old work but still feels fresh & delicious; gorgeous 📷 @bendearnley with recipes and styling by me 3 love in unexpected places, & the cord I always trip over 4 raspberry smash 📷 @bendearnley again 5 dawn skies this week 6 spring spritz, recipe & styling by me for Coles mag, glorious shot by (you guessed it!) @bendearnley

Cake musings. Making Roo’s birthday cake this week had me feeling nostalgic, thinking of all the cakes I’ve made her over the years. There was the structurally unsound gingerbread house I spent hours baking & building, late into the night ahead of an early party. Instead of piping shingles on the roof with icing, I arranged rows & rows of Freckles instead, only to find next morning it’d collapsed under its own weight. Hastily stuck back together with lashings of icing, paddlepop stick trusses & muttered swearing. There were the fondant-heavy creations - a unicorn with golden horn and eyelashes to die for, a ginger cat, a giant popsicle, a pretty bunting cake decorated with hand-made giant sprinkles. There was a version of a viral pastel buttercream cake with little frogs perched on top, in Roo’s favourite shade of mint green. Some years it was a cake or tart I’d created during the year for work - last year’s peanut butter chocolate tart; another time it was a sweet potato bundt cake with maple glaze (sounds odd but is SO good!). All of them are the embodiment of love for this beautiful child who is a living lesson in gentleness, quiet strength and seemingly endless, boundless creativity. This year’s request was for chocolate cake. Of course, my first question was “what kind of chocolate cake?”. So many options: a fluffy sponge perhaps? A dense fudgy situation? A layer cake? We landed on a classic chocolate buttermilk cake with the most tender of crumbs, topped with a version of my go-to whipped ganache (a recipe I created about 25 years ago, which has gone through many iterations) and nostalgic sprinkles. A crush of freeze-dried raspberries for a little tang and a whole lot of glitter candles. Made in sheet cake form, for the perfect proportion of icing to cake (1:1 thank you!). Big enough to feed about 20 people, so we’ll be nibbling for days. My mum always made us incredible birthday cakes that remain beautiful memories. I love that I can do that for Roo too. Sometimes (oftentimes) I resist the cliches around food and love, but there’s no resistance here. I cook for those I love and it’s one of my favourite things in the world. Cliche or not. Xxxxx

Late-night sugar cravings? Truth be told, my sweet tooth doesn’t heed the time of day (I’ve been known to have cheesecake or chocolate mousse for breakfast), and having this deliciousness in the house post-shoot had me shaving off little slivers of brownie at all hours, especially the deepest night. Ultra-fudgy and studded with the stickiest candied orange and pistachios, these are can’t-stop-won’t-stop excellent. Rich, dark and just plain glorious. Recipe perfection from the ever-talented @hobbssee for Coles mag, with the glowiest photography by @bendearnley and styling by moi. 🧡🍊🧡🍊🧡🍊🧡🍊🧡🍊🧡🍊🧡🍊🧡