Oeufs en Meurette

Name: Oeufs en Meurette (Poached eggs in red wine sauce)
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4 as a main course
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 475 ml (16 fl oz) veal stock; a bouquet garni; salt and pepper; 75 g (3 oz) streaky bacon, cut in lardons (thin strips) and blanched if salty (see Note); 1 stick of celery, sliced thinly; beurre manié made with 20 g (¾ oz) unsalted butter and 15 g (½ oz) flour; a bottle of red burgundy; 1 carrot, sliced thinly; 1 onion, sliced thinly; 16–20 baby onions, peeled; 25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter; 1 clove of garlic, crushed; 8 fresh eggs; 75 g (3 oz) mushrooms, quartered; 8 round fried bread croûtes, 6 cm (2½ inches) in diameter; 6 black peppercorns; 15 g (½ oz) unsalted butter

Poached eggs in red wine sauce

Preparation info

Serves
4
as a main course

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

The Cooking of Burgundy and the Lyonnais

By Anne Willan

Published 1987

About

‘Meurette’ is a red wine sauce and one of the grand Burgundian traditions, combining bacon and onions with whatever happens to be the local vintage. Red wine contributes a fruity richness that is totally lacking in a white wine sauce.

Ingredients

a bottle of red burgundy
475 ml (16 fl oz) veal stock

Europe
France
Main course
Burgundy
Mediterranean

Method

To poach the eggs, bring the wine and stock to a boil in a sauté pan or shallow saucepan. Break four eggs, one by one, into places where the liquid bubbles. Lower the heat and poach the eggs for 3–4 minutes until the yolk is fairly firm but still soft to the touch. Transfer the eggs to paper towels to drain and poach the rest. Strain the cooking liquid and set it aside.

For the sauce,