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Oeufs en Meurette – Eggs Poached in Red Wine Sauce

A classic French dish of eggs poached in red wine sauce or Ouefs en Meurette
Print Recipe
French eggs poached in red wine sauce from Burgundy
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Red Wine Sauce

  • 1 bottle 750 ml / 3 cups good-quality red wine (something you’d happily drink)
  • 500 ml 2 cups beef stock
  • 8 large free-range eggs as fresh as possible
  • 1 small onion thinly sliced
  • 1 medium carrot thinly sliced
  • 1 stalk of celery sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 bouquet garni parsley, sage, thyme – rosemary works too
  • ½ tsp peppercorns
  • 30 grams salted butter to emulsify into the sauce at the end

Croûtes (Toasts)

  • 8 slices sourdough bread halve 4 slices if very large
  • Butter for frying
  • 1 fresh garlic clove to rub on the toasts

Garnish

  • 30 grams butter
  • 200 grams button mushrooms trimmed and quartered
  • 250 grams streaky bacon 4 slices fried whole, remainder cut into lardons
  • 330 grams pearl onions peeled and left whole

Instructions

Poach the eggs in the wine stock

  • Bring the wine and beef stock to a boil. Poach the eggs for 3–4 minutes for soft yolks. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Refrigerate if preparing in advance.

Make the sauce base

  • Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, peppercorns, and the bouquet garni to the wine stock. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and reduce until slightly thickened (about 10–15 minutes).

Cook the garnishes

  • Fry the streaky bacon slices until crisp and set aside.
  • Fry the bacon lardons and mushrooms together until lightly golden. Set aside.
  • In the same pan (or separately), fry the pearl onions until tender.

Finish the sauce

  • Add the bacon lardons, mushrooms, and onions to the red wine sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes to meld the flavours. Whisk in the butter at the end for gloss and richness.

Prepare the croûtes

  • Butter the sourdough slices lightly on both sides and fry in the leftover pan fat until golden. Rub with a fresh clove of garlic.

Reheat the eggs

  • Just before serving, reheat the poached eggs in simmering water for 1 minute.

Assemble the dish

  • Place a slice of fried sourdough on each plate. Top with one or two eggs, then spoon over the red wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms, and onions. Garnish with the reserved crispy bacon slices.

Notes

Storage Instructions

  • Red wine sauce: Can be made 1–2 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Reheat gently before serving.
  • Poached eggs: Best served fresh, but they can be poached earlier, chilled, and reheated in simmering water for 1 minute.
  • Toasts: Prepare just before serving for the best texture.
Servings: 4