French inspired wines, food and film
Brunch
The secret to not feeling guilty about devouring French toast generously doused in maple syrup, is the amount of fruit you add. And if you move it to brunch (after 11:00), you can lose the guilt of pairing it with a glass of wine as well.
We love Sunday brunch with a feel-good film and an easy-going wine. In this case, we left the sliding door wide open for the air and defused light to pour in – just enough not to affect the screen but to light up the rose in our glasses.
Just before lockdown, we enjoyed brunch at South Hill Vineyards in Elgin. Sandy King is a wizard in the kitchen when it comes to hearty and authentic country-style cooking, and her French toast inspired us to make this a Sunday tradition at our house during lockdown. An early summer Sunday was the perfect time to re-enact this with their South Hill Rose 2020.
Georgio never saw my favourite French film, Amélie, set in Montmartre. This quirky film portraying the life of the peculiar waitress Amélie Poulain was a perfect match for what was on our plates and in our glasses. Going on a journey with Amélie’s colourful personality is simply magical and combining it with the bright and colourful fruits and wine was wonderfully sweet. Inspired by Provence, the wine is bright and a refreshing match for the French toast exuding red berry fruit and candied apple with a freshness to counter the dish’s sweetness.
French Toast
Here is our recipe that we have based on a Martha Stewart favourite. She believes that lemon zest and a swig of brandy adds brightness to the dish.
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of milk
- Sea salt to taste
- 4 slices of bread thickly sliced
- unsalted butter to fry
- Maple syrup
- Fresh fruit and crispy bacon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- Zest of 1 lemon (or orange if you prefer less acidity)
Preheat oven to 100 degrees Celsius. Place an ovenproof serving platter in the oven. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, brandy, zest, and a large pinch of salt. Layer the bread in a shallow baking dish and pour over the egg mixture. Give it 3 minutes to soak up the mixture and turn it around.
Coat your pan with butter and fry over medium heat and fry two slices at a time until golden brown and crisp. Turn bread and repeat, adding a little more butter if needed to add that crisp, nutty flavour. Transfer the French toast to the oven to keep warm while you cook the next two slices.
Make sure the film is ready to go and your glasses are topped up, as it’s best to serve the toast immediately.
Being super-efficient in the kitchen, Georgio would’ve cut up the fruit and fried the bacon by now, so I strongly recommend a man who loves cooking!
Afternoon film
Laborie’s new wine labels are hot off the press, an ode to the brand’s Franco-South African heritage. Laborie’s mantra, ‘Le Grande Vie’, is a commitment to a vibrant life inspired by French culture and the active pursuit for beauty and all that pleases the senses.
In 1691, the Farm Laborie was granted to French Huguenot Isaac Taillefert. With their knowledge of French viticultural techniques, the Taillefert family laid a solid foundation of vineyards and outstanding wine production evident in Laborie’s wines of distinction over three hundred years later. The new appearance now includes a delicate gold design accompanied by a French-blue closure.
We were both dying to see Moulin Rouge again and thought it was the perfect timing to stay with the French theme (and in Montmartre) and open the Laborie Merlot while cooking Chef Mynhardt’s Basque Lamb.
The film is set in the beautiful streets of Montmartre, inside a grandiose red windmill where a penniless writer falls in love with the breathtakingly beautiful actress and courtesan, Satine. It is a singalong-snuggle up musical with so much detail that you would want to watch it for a second time. We let the lamb cook while watching the first film and we halved the recipe only being the two of us, and we enjoyed it with fresh bread.
Basque Lamb served with Laborie Merlot
Serves: 6 to 8
Prep time: 25 min
Marinating time: overnight
Oven: 160 degrees Celsius
Baking time: 3 hours
- 1,5 kg lamb shoulder cut into 2-inch strips
- 250 ml of Laborie Chenin Blanc
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 10 sprigs if thyme
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Tablespoon of butter
- 2 large, chopped onions
- 3 large, chopped leeks
- 8 cloves of grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
- 5 large roasted red bell peppers
- 2 Bay leaves
- A handful of chopped parsley
- A handful of chopped basil
- Grated rind of two lemons
- 1 tin of whole peeled tomatoes – chopped
- 500 ml lamb stock
- 500 ml Laborie Merlot
Marinate the lamb overnight in the fridge by seasoning the lamb with salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl, cover the meat with the Laborie Chenin Blanc and add the sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
Strain the juices from the meat and keep them on the side.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil and brown the meat in the oil, deglaze the pan with the leftover marinating juices and reduce
Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan juices, melt, let it bubble and add the onions, leeks and garlic, sauté until golden brown.
Add the meat back to the pot and add the sweet paprika, red bell peppers, bay leaves, parsley, basil, lemon rind, tomatoes, lamb stock and Laborie Merlot. Stir through and bring to the boil. Place the pot with lid in the 160-degree oven and bake for three hours until soft and tender.
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