Poached eggs in red wine sauce (Oeufs en meurette)

You may have heard of boeuf bourguignon or coq au vin, famous French dishes from the region of Burgundy, but have you heard of oeufs en meurette? Like its famous relatives, oeufs en meurette also includes a rich, red-wine based sauce, mushrooms and lardons for a unique egg dish that celebrates the flavours of Burgundy.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 50 g butter, divided, plus extra for spreading
• 100 g speck, cut into lardons
• 8 Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced and microwaved for 4 minutes
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tsp flour
• 1 cup (250 ml) red wine
• 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock
• ½ tsp powdered gelatine
• 2 thick sourdough slices
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp curly parsley, finely shredded

Instructions

1. Melt half the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Fry the speck until golden, then remove from the pan to a small plate and set aside. Add the mushrooms to the pan (reserving any liquid released from the mushrooms for later) and fry until golden, then add the onion and garlic, cook for a few minutes, or until softened.
   
2. Stir through the flour and cook for a few minutes further, or until the flour is lightly browned. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the beef stock, gelatine powder and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir through the remaining butter.
   
3. Butter the sourdough slices and grill on a grill pan or frying pan, or until well-toasted and crisp.
   
4. While the sauce is simmering, bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Crack in the eggs one at a time and simmer for 4 minutes, or until poached to your liking. Remove from the hot water using a slotted spoon.
   
5. To serve, divide buttery toast between plates and top with the poached eggs. Spoon over the red wine sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley and speck lardons and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.