The Night of the Donna Feast

I had people over for dinner last night and thought I would show off my Donna skills and do a whole Donna feast!

Here's what I made;

• Pumpkin and goat's cheese crumbles. Issue 54, page 140.
• Roasted potatoes with green beans and speck. Issue 54, page 142.
• Butterscotch walnut tarts with homemade Basic vanilla pastry. Issue 32, page 81. and the pastry from, Issue 38, page 118.
• Mint, vinegar and honey-glazed roast lamb. Issue 26, page 119.

Yes it was quite hectic, but not as stressful as I had imagined.

Tips:

Use the cooking time for the roast leg of lamb (on the same page) if that is what you are using! The recipe I used was for smaller cuts of meat, and my meat didn't cook in time.

We ended up having the roast veggies for entree and the meat for main. This might have been a little bit embarrassing if they weren't such close friends (all you can do is laugh!). You might also like to ask your butcher about cooking times when you purchase your meat.

Use nice sweet moist pumpkin. Mine was a bit dry and didn't do the dish justice.

Donna doesn't say how to make the sourdough bread crumbs. I just put our grill on low a couple of hours before, and slowly dried out slices of sourdough, turning occasionally.

Besides the homemade pastry (which I wouldn't change for anything!) These butterscotch walnut tarts were super easy!

Besides a few little hiccups I think it all went quite well, and our friends were sufficiently impressed :)

Basic Vanilla Pastry

Here is the pastry recipe, as promised!

Before this recipe, I was always afraid of making my own pastry. I had heard that it was finicky, time consuming, and really not that much nicer than store bought pastry.

I tried several times to make my own pastry the 'old fashioned way' (without a food processor) and failed miserably.

This recipe is quick, easy and so delicious you will never want to buy store bought pastry again!

Just a few important tips: (Most of these points are mentioned in the recipe, but I think they are so super important I am going to mention them all again :)

• Use iced water (just as she says!). My friend showed me the easy way, small jug, water, ice cubes. simple. This advice after several attempts at partially freezing the water in the jug and it taking FOREVER and then forgetting about it so it was rock hard. Haha!

• Make sure your butter is straight out of the fridge

• Don't put in all the water Donna says. I just slowly add water until the dough in the food processor forms a ball and then I stop adding water immediately.

• This is just me, and I know people have been making pastry for years without modern technology, but save yourself the tears and don't even think of making this pastry without a food processor. If you have and it was a success, good for you, you are a far better cook than I.

• I roll my pastry out between two sheets of glad wrap. It is so easy to work with this way.

Happy pastry making!

P.s. A special shout out must go to my good friend Megan, who without her faithful support I would never have even attempted to make pastry ever again! She walked me through every step that first successful time and I owe her a debt of delicious gratitude <3

Issue 38, Page 118

Rhubarb Tart

Ok, so I go into this post with mixed feelings. This tart, which I made for the first time two weeks ago, and I, have a short but messy history.

So, to the technicalities for a moment,

Everything about this tart is simple and delicious. I use the Pastry recipe found in Issue 38, Page 118. This was the first from-scratch pastry I attempted and it is so wonderful and easy, I don't see the point changing (I will post my thoughts on the pastry recipe later).

Besides baking the final tart a little longer than Donna says (as usual), Everything else is as the recipe states, and it is delicious. Kind of cheesecakey with the scrumptious tartness of the rhubarb. As for where you can find the rhubarb, I'm not sure. I am lucky enough to have a mother who grows rhubarb, which is why I decided to make this recipe in the first place.

Anyhoo, back to our messy history.

I was so impressed with this yummy tart I wanted to share it with everyone I could.

After it being almost demolished at a friends going-away party, I decided to take some to my parents-in-law, who were staying at a local caravan park. Impress the in-laws.

In the car park I dropped the tart, contained in my favourite, vintage, stoneware, tart dish. Right onto my big toe.

While hopping around the car park yelling faux expletives (Miss Three was present) Sweetyboy collected the miraculously unbroken tart dish and the amazingly preserved tart (Thank you glad wrap!).

Three and a half hours at emergency proved that the toe was not, in-fact broken, just crazy sore. A hot needle was inserted to relive a hematoma that had formed under the nail.

The nail is slowly (and painfully) in the process of falling off as we speak.

I ate the remainder of the tart and enjoyed every bite.

So... Make this tart. You wont regret it. Unless of course you drop it on your toe and the baking dish smashes and the tart is ruined.

I just noticed that most of the photos of my finished creations show them partially eaten. This is because 1) I have no self control, and 2) am very forgetful. Usually we have already begun digging in when I remember 'Ahhhh! I was going to take a photo of this for the blog!'

Issue 2, Page. 30

High-Top Apple and Sultana Pie

Everyone loves this version of the classic apple pie!

So yummy!

My only tips are, pile up the apple (it will condense a little while cooking) and cook it until it is nice and golden (a little longer than she says, as usual!).

The first time i made it, I made it with half red apples and half green (out of necessity). Everyone who tried it (even seasoned pie makers) said it was the yummiest apple pie they had ever eaten. I think it must have been the extra sweetness from the red apples.

Issue 38, Page 120.

Caramel Pear Pie

The pie special in Donna hay magazine issue 38, is my go-to for a warm winter desert at the moment. I have made quite a few of them now and this one is definitely a stand out.

I must say it does generally turn out looking just like Donna's, though I always cook it longer than she says, until the top of mine is all lovely and brown like Donna's is in the picture.

Due to recipes failing in the past I have been to nervous to take it out of the oven at the time she says because it looks a little sloppy and not set. I am quite notorious for over cooking things though!

I haven't deviated from the recipe too much. A friend tried to make hers cook faster and added almond meal. I thought it was delicious, but I will let her tell you about it!

She also gave me the idea to add Black Strap Molasses. Just 2 Tbsp added to the golden syrup because it is super strong!

I loved it! But others preferred it the regular way, so each to their own.

I used a heart shaped cookie cutter for the decoration around the edge and just cut the hearts in half long-ways.

Donna Hay Magazine

Issue 38, Page 124.