Ouef en Meurette
(Poached Egg in Wine Sauce)
This dish is a classic from the Burgundy region of France. Poached eggs on a crisp olive oil crouton, topped with a red wine sauce, laced with button mushrooms, lardons and pearl onions. The “en Meurette” element is the traditional cooking of the poached eggs in a red Burgundian wine. I prefer to poach my eggs in water, and then add them to the wine sauce later. But the end result is a rich and delicious dish that will be perfect for any small dinner party or celebration.
Ouef en Meurette (Poached Egg in Wine Sauce) Recipe​
​
(Serves About 4)
​
Ingredients​
For the Sauce:
-
½ Bottle of Pinot Noir
-
1 Cup Beef Stock
-
2 Shallots (Minced)
-
3 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
-
1 Stick Celery (Roughly Chopped)
-
3 Carrots (Roughly Chopped)
-
1 Bay Leaf
-
4 Rashers of Bacon (Cut into Lardons)
-
10 Button Mushrooms (De-stemmed and Quartered)
-
10 Pearl Onions (Peeled and Blanched)
-
½ Cup Italian Parsley (Finely Chopped)
-
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
-
1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
-
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
For the Croutons:
-
4 Slices White Bread
-
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
-
Kosher Salt to Taste
For the Eggs:
-
4 Organic Eggs
-
2 Cups Water
-
¼ Cups White Wine Vinegar
​
Instructions
​
For The Sauce:
-
Place the butter in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle heat until it begins to foam.
-
Once it is foaming, add the shallots and season with salt and pepper.
-
Cook the shallots for 2 minutes and then add the garlic.
-
Cook the garlic for 2 minutes and then add the carrots and celery.
-
Add the red wine, the stock and the bay leaf.
-
Simmer gently for 15 minutes, until reduced by 1/3.
-
Strain the stock.
-
Discard the shallots, garlic, carrots, celery and bay leaf.
-
In another pan, fry the lardons until crisp and golden.
-
Remove the lardons from the pan but leave the bacon fat in the pan.
-
Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook gently for 5 minutes until they begin to soften.
-
Add the blanched pearl onions to the pan and cook until they begin to take on colour.
-
Return the bacon to the same pan.
-
Add the stock to the pan with the onions, bacon and lardons.
-
Keep warm.
For the Croutons:
-
Cut four 3-inch rounds from slices of white bread.
-
Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
-
Place on a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake at 300°F until they are crisp and golden.
For the Eggs:
-
Add the water and vinegar to a pan.
-
Bring to a rolling simmer.
-
Add the eggs and poach for 3-4 minutes.
To Construct the Dish:
-
Place a crouton at the bottom of a soup bowl.
-
Place the egg on top of the crouton.
-
Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper on the egg.
-
Gently add the warm sauce over the egg, making sure that you get onions, lardons and mushrooms into the bowl as well.
-
Top the dish with parsley and serve.