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Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Setting The Scene With Victoria McKenzie

This mid-century marvel in Caulfield North is brought to life with the exacting eye and curious collections of Victoria McKenzie. The celebrated set decorator and art director has brought her expertise of working on films (including The Lord of the Rings!) to this vibrant, treasure trove of a home.

Victoria shares her tropical-inspired, handcrafted paradise with her two ‘fur babies’, Bengal cats Daphne and Fergus.

Will Studd's Sub-Tropical Wonderland In Byron Bay – The Design Files | Australia's most popular design blog.

Will Studd came into our lives in the best way possible: cheese. The internationally acclaimed cheese expert, writer and TV host is responsible for creating, importing and distributing some of the best cheeses you’ll find in Australia.

But Will isn’t just about the cheese. He’s also a passionate gardener and has created a lush, sub-tropical wonderland, complete with over 180 species of palm trees, and a huge vegetable garden in his Byron Bay home.

After our team photographed this lush paradise in Byron a few months ago, Georgina Reid of The Planthunter caught up with Will to learn more about his gardening journey across two states, and his commitment to the process.

9 of the Best Kitchen Gadgets for Weight Loss and Healthy Eating

So here’s the thing about cooking at home: It’s a process. A gratifying process, yes, but a process nonetheless. To do it, you need to stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer with all the right i
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Chocolate Brownies with Milk Gianduja – The Design Files | Australia's most popular design blog.

FOODChocolate Brownies with Milk Gianduja - The Design Files | Australia's most popular design blog.

There is something wonderful about what the overwhelming reactions you receive from people when you say the word ‘brownie’ out loud. Eyes light up, mouths start to salivate, and if they’re fresh out of the oven, there’s no holding back. Yes, I am one of those people who always burn my mouth on freshly baked goods, lured in by the incredible scent and unable to wait until they have appropriately cooled.

There is always much debate in our kitchen about what constitutes a good brownie and whether importantly, you prefer a piece from the edges of the tin or from the middle (for the record, I love a fudgy, not fully cooked brownie and cut me a corner piece please). As for filling, there are so many options, be they nutty or fruity, but for me, not surprisingly, the more chocolate the better!

These brownies are incredibly delicious and always a crowd pleaser. They are deep, dense and fudgy, with hints of gooey sweetness thanks to the addition of our handmade gianduja. For those of you wondering, gianduja is a traditional Italian confection and is the combination of chocolate and hazelnut paste, but quite often the traditional recipe has quite a lot of sugar added. Our gianduja is a slightly more refined take on this classic, and we choose to use only single origin milk chocolate, pure hazelnut paste we make ourselves from Italian organic hazelnuts, and crushed hazelnut pieces to add final texture and crunch.

Brownie Ingredients.  Recipe and food by Jade Bentley of Monsieur Truffe, Photo – Sean Fennessy, Styling / Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.


Chocolate Brownies with Milk Gianduja.  Recipe and food by Jade Bentley of Monsieur Truffe, Photo – Sean Fennessy, Styling / Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.


Monsieur truffe’s AMAZING Milk Gianduja.  I cannot describe how good this stuff is.  Imagine a solid cube of Nutella, only a little less sickly sweet, with crunchy hazelnuts shards through it.  SO GOOD.  Recipe and food by Jade Bentley of Monsieur Truffe, Photo – Sean Fennessy, Styling / Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.


Fresh from the oven, with gooey Gianduja pieces on top!  Recipe and food by Jade Bentley of Monsieur Truffe, Photo – Sean Fennessy, Styling / Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.


Jade Bentley of Monsieur Truffe, Photo – Sean Fennessy, Styling / Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

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