Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce; deer

Oeufs en meurette or Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce or Poached Eggs Bourguignon is a traditional dish in the Burgundian region of France. It’s an old dish and the only restaurant where I’ve found it still on the menu was just outside of Lyon, which isn’t actually in Burgundy, but close enough.

And Lyon is considered the food capital of France and, thus, the world. (ahem…)

It’s a favorite dish chez nous and one I make often in the cooler months.

Everyone I have ever made it for loves it.

I will admit, however that it’s often eyed with a certain amount of trepidation.

Family or guests who have never had it will give me with the ‘okay I have to be polite’ look. I can sometimes see them trying to figure out the best way to mention that they would rather I made something else. It’s a combination of flavors that doesn’t immediately tickle the mental taste-buds. I don’t know why the flavors work so well together, but they do.

I, of course, just smile and say ‘trust me’.

They do…. and they’re happy they did.

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Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce

Print Recipe

This is a classic dish from the Burgundy region: simple poached eggs in red wine. We have it as a first course.
Use a decent red wine…. It doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle but it shouldn’t be cheap plonk.

• Author: Katie
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: First Courses

Ingredients

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• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, cleaned, cut into chunks
• 2 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 eggs

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Instructions

• The Sauce: 
• Put shallot / onion, carrot and red wine into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. 
• Boil over medium-high heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Wine will reduce slightly. 
• Strain the sauce into a bowl, discarding solids. 
• Put the wine back into the pan and return to heat. 
• Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to wine, stirring until thick and clear. 
• Cover and keep warm.
• The Eggs: 
• Fill a medium to large skillet with water. The water should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep. 
• Heat water over medium-high heat. Add vinegar. 
• When water is softly boiling poach eggs: one at a time break egg into a small saucer. 
• Swirl a spoon in the water where you will put the egg – off to one side. 
• When water is swirling tip the egg into center. 
• With slotted spoon try to keep the white together. 
• Do remaining eggs the same way. 
• With regular spoon scoop some hot water over tops of eggs. 
• Poach for 4 minutes or until white is set but yolk is still very soft.
• Remove eggs with a slotted spoon, drain and put into a 2 soup plates or flattish bowls. 
• Spoon sauce over top and serve, salt & pepper on the side.

Notes

Poaching eggs is really easy – even the first time. The vinegar is to help keep the whites together. Red wine, cider, white wine all work fine.
If you have an electric kettle that boils water quickly, use that to boil the water then pour into the skillet to save time.

Keywords: poached eggs, red wine sauce, eggs in wine

Our source for local venison is gone.

They’ve sold their small wooded deer farm and moved back to their home country.

The deer are still there, of course, with a new caretaker. I walk by the woods every week and, sometimes, the deer are below the woods, dining in the pasture:

They are pretty calm, usually, although I turn off the book I listen to and walk quietly. Our friends kept the herd to around 20 animals so we always could look forward to some venison 2 or 3 times a year.
He would go out to the woods and gave them corn every evening at sunset so they got somewhat used to humans.

We know nothing about the new owner… Time will tell.

We have deer cross our property from time to time.

They are much more skittish so the best I can do is a photo through the window:

It’s hunting season now so we tend to see them more often – their habitat disturbed by the hunters.