flipEggs in meurette sauce
Eggs in meurette sauce
Why this dish? Colette grew up in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, in the heart of Burgundy, in the kitchen of her mother Sido where red wine went into almost everything. Poached eggs in a wine sauce are the quintessential country dish of her childhood, simple and savory as she liked them.
Soft-poached eggs poached directly in reduced Burgundy red wine, bound with butter and garnished with lardons and onions, served on a slice of garlic-rubbed bread. A rustic dish where the local wine becomes the sauce.
At home, in Puisaye, we would never have dreamed of wasting an opened bottle: it ended up in the pan, simmering with a bit of lard and onion, until it turned black and velvety. I would slip in my fresh eggs, those whose yolks still tremble, and let them barely set in that hot wine. You rub the bread with a garlic clove, nap it, and eat standing up in the morning, with a glass of the same vintage. Believe me, nothing wakes the body better than this dark sauce that smells of the vine and the fireplace.
- •Very fresh eggs — a few (heart of the dish)
- •Burgundy red wine — an opened bottle (sauce base)
- •Smoked bacon — one thick slice (fatty and smoky base)
- •Onions — a handful (sweetness)
- •Butter and flour — as needed (thickening)
- •Garlic — one clove (bread flavoring)
- •Stale country bread — slices (base)
- •Bouquet garni — one (aromatics)
Eggs in meurette sauce
Soft-poached eggs poached directly in reduced Burgundy red wine, bound with butter and garnished with lardons and onions, served on a slice of garlic-rubbed bread. A rustic dish where the local wine becomes the sauce.
Why this dish? Colette grew up in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, in the heart of Burgundy, in the kitchen of her mother Sido where red wine went into almost everything. Poached eggs in a wine sauce are the quintessential country dish of her childhood, simple and savory as she liked them.
At home, in Puisaye, we would never have dreamed of wasting an opened bottle: it ended up in the pan, simmering with a bit of lard and onion, until it turned black and velvety. I would slip in my fresh eggs, those whose yolks still tremble, and let them barely set in that hot wine. You rub the bread with a garlic clove, nap it, and eat standing up in the morning, with a glass of the same vintage. Believe me, nothing wakes the body better than this dark sauce that smells of the vine and the fireplace.
Ingredients (period version)
- Very fresh eggs — a few (heart of the dish)
- Burgundy red wine — an opened bottle (sauce base)
- Smoked bacon — one thick slice (fatty and smoky base)
- Onions — a handful (sweetness)
- Butter and flour — as needed (thickening)
- Garlic — one clove (bread flavoring)
- Stale country bread — slices (base)
- Bouquet garni — one (aromatics)
Ingredients
- Eggs — 4 (heart of the dish)
- Full-bodied red wine (Burgundy) — 50 cl (sauce base)
- Smoked lardons — 100 g (fatty and smoky base)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (sweetness)
- Butter — 40 g (half for beurre manié) (thickening and shine)
- Flour — 1 tbsp (thickening)
- Garlic — 1 clove (bread flavoring)
- Country bread — 4 slices (base)
- Vinegar, salt, pepper, bouquet garni — to taste (seasoning and poaching)
Method
- Sauté the lardons and sliced onion in a little butter until colored, then pour in the red wine with the bouquet garni and reduce by half over low heat.
- Strain the sauce if desired smooth, then thicken with beurre manié (butter and flour kneaded together); adjust salt and pepper.
- Poach the eggs for 3 minutes in simmering vinegared water, drain on a cloth.
- Toast the bread slices and rub with garlic.
- Place a poached egg on each slice, generously nap with hot meurette sauce, and sprinkle with reserved lardons.
How it was made : In Burgundy, *meurette* referred to any red wine sauce served over eggs, fish, or brains. They used wine from the barrel, never the best: it was peasant economy cooking that turned leftovers into a modest festive dish.
The contemporary twist : Serve the egg in an individual small cocotte, mirror-like napping sauce, and garlic croutons standing upright, as a nod to the revisited mâchon.
Colette · Charactorium
