Recipe: Eggs en Meurette
Originally posted on February 27, 2008
Alain had this dish while we were in Burgundy. We had lunch in this wonderful old restaurant that sat on the edge of a river. The restaurant had originally been a tanning factory, so it had stone walls and wonderful exposed wooden beams. The food was as delightful as the ambience!
In English it’s called “Poached Eggs in Meurette Sauce”
If you check out the recipe below, you’ll see that this recipe should be a heart attack waiting to happen – but for some reason, the French can eat this type of rich, delicious, mouthwatering food – and not only not get sick, but not even gain an ounce! (Doesn’t seem fair, does it?)
When choosing eggs for poaching, remember that freshness counts. If you’ve never poached eggs before, you’ll and to poach them in plenty of unsalted water (salt makes the whites too thin) and add just a splash of white wine vinegar.
For the Sauce:
1 bottle of fruity red wine
3 shallots sliced (if you can’t find shallots, you can use a white onion)
1 carrot sliced
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 tomato quartered
1 bouquet garni (fresh parsley, thyme and bay leaf tied with kitchen twine)
A few black peppercorns
2 cups water
Beurre Manie: (To thicken the sauce)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, mixed – or kneaded by hand with 2 tablespoons of flour
For the garnish:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ pound of button mushrooms or larger ones quartered: optional
2 slices of ¼ inch-thick un-smoked bacon, cut into lardons
24 pearl onions peeled (plunging them into boiling water for 2 minutes makes peeling easier)
1 teaspoon sugar
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley
You will also need croutons or 1/4 sliced pieces of toast that are large enough to hold a poached egg. Cut six two inch rounds out of good quality dense bread, brush with a little melted butter, season with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes in a hot oven.
6 large very fresh eggs
Prepare the sauce:
Put the wine into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and ignite the wine with a match. (Warning: Make sure you use a fireplace-type matchstick and stand back when you light the wine because – trust me – an entire bottle of wine can create a pretty impressive flame!)
Don’t be impatient here – it’s going to take a good 5 minutes for the flame to burn itself out. If it goes out too quickly, try turning the heat up and starting it up again.
After the flames have died down, add the shallots, garlic, tomato, bouquet garni, carrot and water. Reduce the liquid slowly over a low heat by two thirds (this will take 30–40 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve, or cheesecloth, pushing on the solids, and reserve in a clean saucepan.
For the Beurre Manie: Knead the butter and flour together in a small bowl. Chill in the fridge till it’s time to use it.
Finishing the Sauce:
In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the mushrooms over a medium-high heat until the juices have evaporated. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and reserve. Add the lardons and pearl onions to the pan, cover and cook over a low fire for 10 minutes until the onions are cooked. Return the mushrooms to the pan, sprinkle over the sugar, deglaze with a spoonful of the sauce, cover and keep warm while you thicken the sauce.
Reheat the sauce; when bubbling add the chilled beurre manie a teaspoonful at a time, whisking until all lumps are dissolved and the sauce sticks to a spoon. Add the onions, lardons, and mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too acidic, add a pat or two of cold butter.
Poach the eggs for 3 to 4 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks soft to the touch.
Warm 6 shallow bowls or plates. Place a crouton in the bottom of each. Top with a poached egg and spoon the sauce over it. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Now – just in case you’re wondering what kind of wine to serve with this delicous dish, here are my thoughts:
You might think you’d want the same wine – a burgundy – but the truth is, especially after cooking, it’s would be a little too acidic. So you could try a fruity Pinot – that would add a kind of tangy zip to the dish. Or perhaps a nice bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé or Saint Veran. Another choice might be a Chassagne-Montrachet or Saint Aubin which would also be fresh and delicious.
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