Poached Eggs in Red Wine (Oeufs en Meurette)

Hello, Welcome to Sunday Supper on Djalali Cooks. Over the last few days, I have posted a few recipes for dishes I enjoyed in Paris. Dishes that are pretty easy to replicate at home. Today’s, Oeufs en Meurrette, is from the Burgundy region of France and it means, simply Eggs in Red Wine. Meurette is a red wine and beef stock-based sauce. This dish incorporates mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon. It takes a little time to simmer and reduce the sauce, but it’s all very simple. Let’s get right to it: Poached Eggs in Red Wine.

Start by slicing 4, thick-cut strips of bacon into 1/4-inch strips, to create lardons. In a large saucepan, fry the lardons until they’re crispy around the edges. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Then we have 8 ounces of mushrooms, quartered; 8-10 pearl onions, peeled and trimmed; one large clove of garlic, smashed; one teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme.

Add the mushrooms and the pearl onions to the saucepan with whatever bacon fat has accumulated in the pan. Sauté the mushrooms and onions until the pan is mostly dry and the mushrooms have given off their moisture, about 10-12 minutes.

When the pan is mostly dry, add the sugar, garlic, and thyme. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds.

Then add the beef stock and red wine. Bring to a simmer and continue lightly simmering for about 30 minutes, until the mixture has reduced by 1/3.

When the sauce has reduced by 1/3 and has darkened in color, add 1 tablespoon of good quality red wine vinegar. Stir to combine and continue lightly simmering for another 20 minutes.

Poached Eggs

When the sauce is beginning its next 20 minutes of simmering, set another saucepan with enough water to cover two eggs set to boil. Crack one egg at a time into a fine mesh strainer, then pour the strained egg into a small dish or ramekin. Straining the watery whites from the eggs will keep the eggs from getting whispy.

When the water for the eggs is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and create a whirlpool with a slotted spoon. Carefully dip one ramekin at time into the center of the vortex, releasing the egg into the water. Let the eggs cook until the whites are firm and the yolks are still runny, about 4 minutes. Transfer the eggs from the water to a paper towel to drain off excess water.

By the end of the total 50 minutes of light simmering, the sauce should be reduced by nearly half and it should be a deep dark red/brown color. Remove from heat and taste for seasoning. Add kosher salt as needed to taste. Finely chop a little parsley for garnish.

So we have enough here for four servings. To make it more of a full meal, make two poached eggs per person and serve with a salad. Ladle the Meurette into small bowls or ramekins. Place one egg in each ramekin, on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with the cooked lardons, cracked black pepper and the chopped parsley.

Poached Eggs in Red Wine (Oeufs en Meurette)

Serve with a fresh baguette slices and butter. Meurette is not so much a soup as it is a sauce, so the idea is not to have a ton of it in each serving. The sauce is robustly flavored – red wine being dominant, the red wine vinegar adds brightness, the beef stock rounds out the sauce with richness. We have some earthiness from the mushrooms and a little allium bite from the pearl onions. Cooking the veggies in bacon fat adds more richness to cut through the wine.

So then we have the egg. If you like your yolks fully cooked and not runny, this is not really the dish for you. OR, maybe this is the dish that helps your palate appreciate a runny yolk. Because the richness of this sauce is beautifully finished with the runny, saucy egg yolk.

Because we didn’t sauté the mushrooms with a mirepoix (the combination of diced celery, onion and carrot), it’s important to buy a beef stock that has been cooked with these vegetables, so look for that in the ingredient list on the box of stock.

Poached Eggs in Red Wine is a simple and traditional dish with origins thought to be connected to boeuf bourguignon. The idea is that a poached egg would be added to leftover boeuf bourguignon to revamp the leftovers. My favorite kind of recipe! I hope you give this dish a try, it’s a great starter for a larger meal, or as a light meal with salad. If you missed the other couple recipes I have made from my adventure in Paris, try Saucisson Beurre Baguette Sandwich or Croque-Madame Pizza. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Key Equipment

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Poached Eggs in Red Wine (Oeufs en Meurette)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Appetizer, Starter, Light Main Course – French

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~1 Hour – Total Time: ~1 Hour, 15 Minutes

A classic French dish, Oeufs en Meurette is a rich red wine sauce with mushrooms, onions and lardons enveloping a perfectly poached egg.

Ingredients

• 4 strips of Bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips to create lardons
• 8-oz. Mushrooms, quartered
• 8-10 Pearl Onions, trimmed and peeled
• 1 Large Garlic Clove, smashed and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Thyme
• 2 cups Beef Stock
• 1.5 cups Burgundy Wine (or Pinot Noir)
• 1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• Kosher Salt to Taste
• 1-2 Eggs per Serving
• Finely Chopped Parsley, for garnish
• Black Pepper, for garnish

Instructions

1

In a large saucepan, fry the lardons until they're crispy around the edges. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

2

Add the mushrooms and the pearl onions to the saucepan with whatever bacon fat has accumulated in the pan. Sauté the mushrooms and onions until the pan is mostly dry and the mushrooms have given off their moisture, about 10-12 minutes.

3

When the pan is mostly dry, add the sugar, garlic, and thyme. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds.

4

Then add the beef stock and red wine. Bring to a simmer and continue lightly simmering for about 30 minutes, until the mixture has reduced by 1/3.

5

When the sauce has reduced by 1/3 and has darkened in color, add 1 tablespoon of good quality red wine vinegar. Stir to combine and continue lightly simmering for another 20 minutes.

Poached Eggs

6

When the sauce is beginning its next 20 minutes of simmering, set another saucepan with enough water to cover two eggs set to boil. Crack one egg at a time into a fine mesh strainer, then pour the strained egg into a small dish or ramekin. Straining the watery whites from the eggs will keep the eggs from getting whispy.

7

When the water for the eggs is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and create a whirlpool with a slotted spoon. Carefully dip one ramekin at time into the center of the vortex, releasing the egg into the water. Let the eggs cook until the whites are firm and the yolks are still runny, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the eggs from the water to a paper towel to drain off excess water.

Finishing the Oeufs en Meurette

8

By the end of the total 50 minutes of light simmering, the sauce should be reduced by nearly half and it should be a deep dark red/brown color. Remove from heat and taste for seasoning. Add kosher salt as needed to taste. Finely chop a little parsley for garnish.

9

Ladle the Meurette into small bowls or ramekins. Place one egg in each ramekin, on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with the cooked lardons, cracked black pepper and the chopped parsley.

Notes

Because we don't sauté the mushrooms with a mirepoix (the combination of diced celery, onion and carrot), it's important to buy a beef stock that has been cooked with these vegetables, so look for that in the ingredient list on the box of stock. To make this more of a meal, add two poached eggs to each serving and serve with a salad and baguette.

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