Oeufs En Meurette Recipes

Steps:

• For the sauce, put the wine and stock in a large saucepan and bring to a vigorous boil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bouquet garni and peppercorns and boil until reduced by half (15-20 minutes). Strain the wine, pressing the vegetables to extract all the liquid, then set aside.
• While the wine is reducing, melt a quarter of the butter in a saucepan, add the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Sauté the mushrooms in with another quarter of the butter until tender (2-3 minutes). Remove and put with the bacon. In the same pan, gently sauté the onions for 10-15 minutes until crisp and tender, shaking the pan often so they colour evenly. Drain off the fat, return the mushrooms and bacon to the pan and set aside.
• Make the croûtes: using a round or oval cutter, cut the bread into 4 shapes just larger than a poached egg. Heat 5 mm/1⁄4in of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the bread croûtes in batches until brown on both sides (1-2 minutes per side). Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
• To thicken the sauce, crush the remaining 15g/1⁄2oz butter on a plate with a fork and work in the flour to form a soft paste - French cooks call this beurre manié. Bring the wine mixture to a boil and whisk in the kneaded butter a piece at a time, until the sauce becomes thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon (you may not need all the kneaded butter). Strain the sauce into the pan with the bacon, mushrooms and onions. Bring to a boil, taste and adjust seasoning, adding a piece of chocolate if you like.
• To finish the dish, reheat the sauce on the stove, and warm the croûtes in the oven. Bring the vinegar and 1.2 litres/2 pints of water to the boil in a large shallow pan. Break the eggs, one at a time, into the places where the liquid is bubbling, so the bubbles spin the eggs. Lower the heat and poach the eggs for 3-4 minutes, until the yolks are fairly firm but still soft to the touch. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and drain on kitchen paper. Trim off the stringy edges with scissors. Place the croûtes on warm serving plates, set an egg on each croûte and spoon over the sauce.

Steps:

• Add the bacon to a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it's cooked through and browning slightly at the edges, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. If a lot of fat has rendered in the pan, pour some out, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until the water from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until it no longer smells raw, about 2 minutes. Add red wine, sugar and thyme. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by a third. Add red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup water and simmer on low until the sauce has reduced by another third, about 20 minutes. The sauce should taste bright and tangy.
• In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. When hot, gently fry the bread on both sides until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. (If the pan is small and you're working in batches, add more oil to the pan as needed.) Cut the bread into strips, lightly season with salt and set aside on a paper towel.
• Fill a deep saucepan with enough water to completely cover an egg. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the water is at a gentle simmer. Working with one egg at a time, break the eggs into a ramekin and gently slide them into the water, using a spoon to direct their shape in the water. Poach for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft and runny.
• Fill 4 ramekins with the mushrooms, onions and red wine sauce. Add a poached egg to each, sprinkle the bacon and parsley (if using) over the top and serve the fried bread on the side. Top the eggs with freshly ground black pepper.

Steps:

• 1. To poach the eggs, bring the wine and stock to a vigorous boil in a large shallow pan. Break four eggs, one by one, into the places where the liquid is bubbling so the bubbles spin the eggs. Lower the heat and poach the eggs for 3 to 4 minutes until the yolks are fairly firm but still soft to the touch. Lift out the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. Poach the remaining eggs in the same way. Trim off the stringy edges with scissors and set the eggs aside. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bouquet garni, and peppercorns to the poaching liquid and simmer until it is concentrated and reduced by half, 20 to 25 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, cook the garnish, melt half the butter in a medium saucepan, add the mushrooms, and sauté until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms, add bacon with the remaining butter, and fry until brown. Lift out the bacon and drain it on paper towels. Add the baby onions and sauté them gently until brown and tender, shaking the pan often so they color evenly, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain off all the fat, replace the mushrooms and bacon, and set the pan aside.
• 3. Make the croûtes, using a round or oval cutter, and cut the bread into 8 shapes just larger than a poached egg. Heat 1/4 inch (6 mm) of oil in a frying pan, over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the croûtes until browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Set the croûtes aside.
• 4. To thicken the sauce, crush the butter on a plate with a fork and work in the flour to form a soft paste. Whisk this kneaded butter, a piece at a time, into the simmering wine mixture until the mixture becomes thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Strain the sauce over the garnish of mushrooms, baby onions, and bacon, pressing on the carrot, onion, and celery to extract all the liquid and flavor. Bring the sauce to a boil, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
• 5. To prepare ahead, poach the eggs up to a day in advance, keeping them in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator. Store the sauce and garnish also in the refrigerator. The croûtes will be fine if kept tightly wrapped, then warmed in a low oven.
• 6. To serve, reheat the eggs by immersing them in hot water for 1 minute. If necessary, reheat the garnish and sauce on top of the stove, and warm croûtes in the oven. Set the croûtes on warm serving plates. Drain the eggs on paper towels, set one on each croûte, and spoon over the sauce and garnish.
• Variation: Poached Eggs in White Wine Sauce
• Oeufs au Meursault
• A full-bodied chardonnay from California's Monterey peninsula or, to be somewhat extravagant, a meursault from Burgundy's Côte de Beaune is the sort of wine required here, particularly if you want to savor it at the table as well. If the wine is too dry and thin, the sauce will be acidic.
• Simply follow the recipe for Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce, substituting white for red wine. Just before serving, stir 3 to 4 tablespoons of crème fraîche or heavy cream into the sauce.