Low-fuss, high-impact: Donna Hay’s effortless Sunday feast

For weekend entertaining, stylist, best-selling cookbook author and television personality Donna Hay prefers to let high-impact, seasonal staples do the heavy lifting.

She puts her energy into one stellar main course and keeps the starters simple.

These two recipes from her new Disney+ series, donna hay Coastal Celebrations, are the ideal anchors for a long, lazy Sunday lunch. Start with a vibrant bruschetta of plump poached tomatoes and creamy baby burrata, followed by her crowd-pleasing miso-Dijon roasted chicken.

Poached tomato bruschetta with basil oil

Basil oil is Hay’s brighten-anything addition to a simple tomato and burrata bruschetta. You can store the basil oil in the fridge for up to 5 days.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ripe heirloom tomatoes
• 6 slices bread of your choice

Basil oil

• 100g basil leaves
• ½ cup (125ml) good-quality extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes

To serve

• 6 x baby burrata or 3 x buffalo mozzarella, extra sea salt and cracked black pepper, and basil leaves

METHOD

1. To make the basil oil, heat a medium saucepan of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with iced water.
2. Blanch the basil for 5 seconds and immediately refresh in the iced water. Allow to cool, then pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
3. Place the basil leaves in a food processor with the oil and salt and blend until smooth.
4. Place a sieve lined with muslin over a bowl and pour the mixture into the sieve. Allow to slowly strain. Discard any solids. Pour into a clean bottle or jar and refrigerate until chilled.
5. Heat a saucepan of water over high heat and bring to a rapid simmer. Fill a large bowl with iced water.
6. In batches, slice a cross in the base of each tomato and blanch for 2 minutes, then immediately refresh in the iced water. Allow to cool, then drain and peel the tomatoes. Set aside.
7. Preheat a char-grill pan over high heat.
8. Grill the bread slices for 1 minute on each side or until charred.
9. Place the bread slices onto serving plates and drizzle with some of the basil oil. Top each with a tomato and squash slightly to cover the bread. Top with a baby burrata and drizzle with more basil oil. Sprinkle with extra salt and pepper and serve with basil leaves.

Serves 6

Crispy lemon and garlic roast chicken

This set-and-forget masterpiece delivers a golden-skinned crunch with minimal effort. The umami-forward miso balances sharp Dijon and sweet honey, while the lemon and garlic roast down into a jammy, fragrant garnish.

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ tbsp honey
• ⅓ cup (95g) Dijon mustard
• ⅓ cup (95g) white miso paste
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 2.5kg chicken pieces on the bone
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 10-12 garlic cloves, unpeeled

METHOD

1. Place the honey, Dijon, miso, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine. Place the chicken in a large flat dish and spoon the marinade over. Toss to coat. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
3. Place the chicken and marinade on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Add the lemon and garlic and drizzle with the extra oil. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until golden and cooked through, and serve.

Serves 6

These recipes are from donna hay Coastal Celebrations, now streaming on Disney+