Poached Eggs with Red Wine Sauce
This elegant savory egg dish is a take on the French oeufs en meurette, a classic preparation from Burgundy.
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/4 cup veal demiglace (such as D’Artagnan, Lunardi’s)
2 cups dry red wine (Cooper-Garrod Test Pilot F6F Hellcat works well!)
1 cup chopped tomato
2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
Bouquet garni: 5 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, 1 thyme sprig, and 1 fresh bay leaf, tied securely with butcher’s twine
1 (6-ounce) bacon slab, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 poached eggs
8 white bread slices (such as Pepperidge Farm), cut into 3-inch rounds, or triangles and sautéed in butter or bacon drippings , or simply toasted, until browned
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
1. Whisk together 2 cups water and demiglace in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium until demiglace dissolves, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine, tomato, shallots, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to medium, and simmer until reduced by half (about 2 cups). Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer over a small nonreactive saucepan. Discard solids, and set wine mixture aside.
2. While wine mixture reduces, heat a medium skillet over medium-high. Add bacon, and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
3. Stir together softened butter and flour in a small bowl until smooth to make a beurre manié. Bring reserved wine mixture to a simmer over medium, and gradually whisk in beurre manié. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. To serve, place 1 poached egg on each fried bread round; spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoons wine sauce over each egg. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon, parsley, and serve with remaining wine sauce.
Pair with Cooper-Garrod F6F Hellcat
www.garrodfarms.com