Burgundy Cooking Vacation: Eggs en Meurette Recipe

Sauces are important to French cooking, and in the Burgundy countryside, the sauce meurette is one of the most popular, made as it is with red wine, along with vegetables and stocks. It’s also most traditionally served with fish or eggs, rather than meat. (Even though game meat is quite popular in the region too!) While it’s a simply made dish, it’s not one that can be hurried.

Making a ‘beurre manie,’ for one, is an important technique as it’s very helpful in thickening the sauce. It’s used in this recipe for oeufs en meurette – or eggs en meurette — from the chefs of our Elegant Burgundy cooking vacation. Ready to bring a bit of France into the kitchen? The recipe serves 2.

Eggs en Meurette

Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cook method: Sauté, Poach

Main Ingredients

• 4 large fresh eggs
• 8 oz Burgundy wine
• 4 slices of bacon (or 4 oz of fatty ham bits)
• 2 oz unsalted butter
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 small red onions
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 slices crusty bread

Beurre Manie ingredients

• 1 tsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp flour
• Large bowl of ice water (with ice cubes)

Instructions
1. With a fork, combine 1 teaspoon of soft butter with 1 teaspoon flour. Knead this into a small ball and refrigerate.
2. Pour the wine into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer until it reduces to a third, and it become thick.
3. Add the beurre manie. Whisk it until well dissolved, and the sauce coats a wooden spoon.
4. Prepare the bacon or ham bits by cooking them until they’re crispy.
5. Toast the slices of bread.
6. Julienne the onions. Then in a pan, melt the butter, and add the brown sugar and onions. Sauté the onions until caramelized. Then add the bacon pieces into the mixture.
7. For the poached eggs, put water into two saucepans. Bring the water to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar to the water in one saucepan.
8. Break the egg into a small bowl. Swirl the water with the vinegar using a spoon, and then place the eggs in the central hollow that’s formed. Cook the egg for about two minutes.
9. Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs from the water one at a time.
10. Keep the second pan of water hot, and slide the eggs gently into the ice water.
11. Allow the eggs to cool for two minutes.
12. Remove the eggs with your hand, and then allow them to drain over the paper towels.
13. Using a small knife or kitchen scissors, trim the uneven edges of the egg white, and gently put them on a plate.
14. When the dish is ready to serve, place the slice of bread in a shallow bowl, and cover with half the onion/ham mixture.
15. Slide the poached eggs into clean hot water for 1 minute. Remove them with the slotted spoon and lay it on top of the onion and ham mixture.
16. Cover each egg with half of the wine sauce.
17. Serve immediately. Bon appétit!

While the region of Burgundy love their red wine sauces, you’ll find a plethora of other gastronomical delights too, thanks to the abundance of beef, poultry, and game meats, in addition to local artisan treats, including cheeses and terrines. Discover this vibrant and delicious region with an American food and travel writer with our small group Elegant Burgundy tour.

By Liz Hall

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