Cooking at Home – French Cooking - Poached Eggs in Burgundy Wine Sauce on a croûte or Oeufs en Meurette

Cooking at Home

Oeufs pochés dans une sauce au vin de Bourgogne sur une croûte (Poached Eggs in Burgundy Wine Sauce on a croute) or Oeufs en Meurette

Cooking at Home – French Cooking - Poached Eggs in Burgundy Wine Sauce on a croûte (Oeufs en Meurette)

Poached eggs in Burgundy wine sauce on a croûte was our first main course for our multiple course French bistro dinner we cooked for our family. 

Picking the right ingredients is important, as is staging. I think a good egg dish is a good substitute for a first main course fish dish. We substituted a Washington state Pinot noir for the French Burgundy because of the cost and quality. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Bon Appétit

The Recipe - Oeufs en Meurette (Poached Eggs in Burgundy Wine Sauce)

Ingredients

1 bottle dry red wine

2 cups beef stock

4 to 8 eggs

1 bay leaf

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces bacon, sliced into paper clip-size pieces

15 to 20 pearl onions, peeled

Directions

Bring the wine and stock to a slow boil in a sauté pan.

Gently crack the eggs in and poach until the whites are set and the yolks runny, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove to a plate.

Remove any clumps of egg white and bring the wine-stock mixture back to a boil.

Add the bay leaf, carrots, celery, garlic, onions and thyme.

Simmer until reduced by half and concentrated, about 20 minutes.

While the sauce reduces, melt 1 spoonful of the butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms, about 3 minutes.

Remove the mushrooms.

Add the second spoonful of butter and fry the bacon until brown.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Fry the onions in the fat left in the pan until tender and golden, about 10 minutes.

Drain off the excess fat and put the bacon and mushrooms back in.

Once the sauce has reduced, knead the butter and flour together to form a paste (Beurre manié*).

Whisk it, a piece at a time, into the simmering sauce until thick enough to coat a spoon.

Strain the sauce over the onions, bacon and mushrooms.

Bring to a boil, and check the seasonings.

Gently place the poached eggs in the sauce to reheat for a minute.

Serve the eggs in wide, shallow bowls on a croûte** with some sauce. Scatter with the parsley.

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Directions in Pictures

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce - bring the wine and stock to a slow boil

• Bring the wine and stock to a slow boil in a sauté pan.

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce - poach until the whites

• Gently crack the eggs in and poach until the whites are set and the yolks runny, 2 to 3 minutes.

• Remove to a plate.

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce - add the bay leaf, carrots, celery, garlic, onions and thyme

• Remove any clumps of egg white and bring the wine-stock mixture back to a boil.

• Add the bay leaf, carrots, celery, garlic, onions and thyme.

• Simmer until reduced by half and concentrated, about 20 minutes.

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce – fry the onions, bacon and mushrooms

• While the sauce reduces, melt 1 spoonful of the butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms, about 3 minutes.

• Remove the mushrooms.

• Add the second spoonful of butter and fry the bacon until brown.

• Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

• Fry the onions in the fat left in the pan until tender and golden, about 10 minutes.

• Drain off the excess fat and put the bacon and mushrooms back in.

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce – add the beurre manié

• Once the sauce has reduced, knead the butter and flour together to form a paste (Beurre manié(1)).

• Whisk it, a piece at a time, into the simmering sauce until thick enough to coat a spoon.

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce - strain the sauce over the onions, bacon and mushrooms

• Strain the sauce over the onions, bacon and mushrooms.

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce - bring to a boil, and check the seasonings

• Bring to a boil, and check the seasonings.

Cooking at Home – Poached Eggs in Wine Sauce - Gently place the poached eggs in the sauce to reheat

• Gently place the poached eggs in the sauce to reheat for a minute. 

Cooking at Home – French Cooking – place a croûte in your bowl

Cooking at Home – French Cooking - serve the with a croûte with some sauce - Oeufs en Meurette

• Serve the eggs in wide, shallow bowls on a croûte(2) with some sauce. Scatter with the parsley.

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(1)Cooking at Home – making beurre manié…

What is beurre manié?

Beurre manié (French "kneaded butter") is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour. When the beurre manié is whisked into a hot or warm liquid, the butter melts, releasing the flour particles without creating lumps.

Beurre manie is also used as a finishing step for sauces, imparting a smooth, shiny texture prior to service.

Cooking at Home – beurre manié – equal parts butter and flour

Cooking at Home – beurre manié – equal parts butter and flour

Cooking at Home – beurre manié – knead the butter and flour

Cooking at Home – beurre manié 

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(2)Cooking at Home – Croûte

What is a croûte?

A slice of toasted or fried bread used as a foundation in serving food.

Cooking at Home – croûte – fry bread in butter (lots of butter)

Cooking at Home – croûte 

Bon Appétit

zzz