Latest News from La Motte

Although traditional Italian osso buco is made with veal shanks, oxtail is a fabulous substitute. While many South African oxtail stews are made using red wine, this rendition is made with white wine (osso buco style), resulting in a lighter sauce. If you prefer, red wine can also be used. This comforting stew is outstanding...

Paccheri is tube shaped pasta from the Puglia region, ideal for stuffing with popular fillings like spinach and ricotta. Unlike canneloni, paccheri tubes are short enough to arrange on their cut sides (on a bed of sauce), resulting in a beautiful repetitive visual result. This is an unusual yet crowd pleasing pasta bake that can...

French onion soup is highly revered as one of the most comforting yet humble classic dishes for colder months, especially when topped with crunchy, melted cheese baguette rounds. This rendition also includes mushrooms for a umami boost, and is made with chicken stock instead of beef stock for a fresh take on an iconic favourite. Ingredients:...

With the French Bastille Day (Fête Nationale) celebrated on 14 July, the Franschhoek Valley commemorates its French heritage with the annual weekend-long Bastille Festival, while at La Motte, we enjoy sharing a few French secrets with you to enjoy during July. Join us as we embrace the influence of the French on our winemaking heritage,...

Legendary chef Auguste Escoffier famously declared that the three great secrets of French cuisine are: butter, butter, butter. While this is a playful culinary proverb, French gastronomy is built on a few core pillars that elevate simple ingredients into world-renowned masterpieces. We know that French cooking relies on the freshness and quality of its ingredients,...

Do you also like to cook a steak at home? Experience an exceptional experience of flavour and texture that starts with something as basic as butter, but ends as a harmonious combination of flavour and texture – from your grill to your glass. We don't expect you to go to the effort of sourcing buchu...

When slowly roasted, garlic caramelizes and softens, making it an ideal flavouring for a steak butter. This recipe combines the roasted garlic with earthy rosemary and the floral notes of pink peppercorns to enjoy over a beautifully marbled ribeye steak Prep time: 1 hour, 15 mins plus chilling  Ingredients: –    200g butter, softened–  ...

Containing deeply caramelised shallots, portobello mushrooms and a hint of truffle oil, this rich compound butter lends a luxurious finish to fillet steak. Prep time: 1 hour, 15 mins plus chilling  Ingredients: –    200g butter, softened–    2 shallots, thinly sliced–    1 Tbsp butter–    1 tsp white sugar–    3 medium portobello...

A classic French bistro recipe, Café de Paris butter is a delicious combination of anchovies, tarragon, garlic and Dijon mustard. It’s wonderful on steak, chicken and even fish. Prep time: 15 mins plus chilling  Ingredients: –    200g butter, softened–    3 brown anchovy fillets–    1 Tbsp baby capers–    1 Tbsp fresh parsley–...

While the bounty of summer with lush green vineyards and age-old, shade-providing oaks, is the image predominantly associated with the Cape Winelands, it is when we are confronted with the stripped winter landscape that we are often struck by the unexpected beauty of the naked vines and bare oak tree branches against the stark white...