News

Round 2 - Saturday 26^th September

As the rising sun is now setting after the last game we can now focus all our energy on getting #behindtheboks for their must win clash against Western Samoa. Continuing in the spirit of De Grendel’s inaugural pairing world cup we are focusing on a recipe for you to try at home from Western Samoa paired with two of our truly South African wines.

Sapa Sui

For this classic Samoan chop suey style dish the perfect South African pairing  would be our Chardonnay 2014 or our Pinot Noir 2012 both wines are extremely good pairings with food with soy sauce in them. Soy sauce is always a problem child when it comes to food and wine pairing. On its own, too much salt increases the perception of tannins in a wine. The umami in soy sauce intensifies that tannic effect. Any bitter notes or off flavours in wine - especially red wine - also come to the front, while the wine's fruitiness is muted. But soy sauce is not eaten as a stand-alone ingredient. It's used in a multitude of ways, including seasoning sushi; stir-fry’s, marinades and dipping sauces, so pair the wine with the overall flavours of the dish.

Click here for the recipe

The Chardonnay due to the beautiful citrus flavours of grapefruit and marmalade with soft vanilla undertones will support the depth and saltiness of this classic dish while the oak will be lifted to give the wine a lovely toasty finish.

The Pinot Noir due to softer tannins present in this wine and the lovely ripe and fresh red and black berries in abundance with the soft velvety finish will help to soften the soy in this dish and lift up the fresher flavours present in the dish.

With Wine-ter now is in full swing and in the Cape we are experiencing the coldest temperatures so far this year. Winter is all about comfort, be it the clothes we wear, the food we eat or the wines that we drink everything seems to have an extra layer to it.

This is definitely the month where the slow cooker is dusted off and we start to prepare these winter classics such as brisket, lamb shank, oxtail, curries and stews. We are looking for something to complement these warmer more complex dishes well you have to look no further than the De Grendel Shiraz 2013. The Shiraz shows coriander, lavender, white pepper and some floral notes on the nose. This full structured wine is well supported by oak undertones and sweet ripe tannins. On the palate the wine finishes with a beautiful clove flavour.   All of the characteristics of the Shiraz will lift any plate of comfort food to a new level with all of the complex flavours in the wine bringing out the same flavours found in most comfort foods.

The beautiful thing about De Grendel Shiraz 2013 is that it isn’t just a wine to be enjoyed with a meal. This wine is as comfortable alongside a fireplace while watching a movie or playing a board game (board game more than likely, THANKS ESKOM). The warming characteristics of our Shiraz will be reflected in that warm flicker from the fire giving you the complete comfort feeling this August.

Click here for our brisket recipe that pairs perfectly with our Shiraz.

The Restaurant team is back in full swing after our annual winter break. We have had a complete make over in the kitchen and increased the size of the kitchen so that we can better service our customers - that's you. We have also addressed the issue of the air-conditioning in the main restaurant so that you will have a much more consistent ambient temperature in the dining room, and made one or two little aesthetic changes in the dining room.

With a new kitchen comes an updated menu featuring some exciting new dishes. Below are some examples of what to expect when you next dine at De Grendel, followed by a recipe for you to try at home of one of the components of the new winter dessert.

Scallop, crab, confit jalapeno, watercress, celeriac, tom yum

Duck leg confit, duck breast, crispy onion, sous vide quail egg, potato, grilled quince

Apple, cranberry, cinnamon, salted almond caramel, ginger bread ice cream

Apple and Pear Crumble Recipe:

150 grams flour

100 grams rolled oats

125 grams butter

50 grams brown sugar

4 apples

2 pears

1 cinnamon stick

50 grams of honey

10 grams of white sugar

Method

1. Peel and dice the apples and pears
2. Place the honey and sugar in saucepan with cinnamon stick and dissolve the sugar.
3. On a low heat add the apples and pears and cook for 10 mins until apples and pears are soft yet still have a bite to them.
4. For the crumble rub in the cold butter with the flour, oats and brown sugar to get a coarse bread crumb consistency
5. Place your apple and pear mixture into a baking dish and then top with the crumble and bake at 180oc for about 20mins or until golden brown (You can use as much or as little of the crumble as you like and freeze any remaining mixture for next time)
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream or some freshly whipped cream

Chef Ian and his team are currently working on creating a tasting menu that will be available to diners in the evenings and will offer a 5 course menu paired with De Grendel's beautiful wines. Details to be announced soon.