Eggs In Meurette Sauce (It’s Magnifique)

A recipe from respected food writer Ginette Mathiot, these Gallic eggs contain considerable history.

This specialty from Burgundy consists of poached, soft, or hard-boiled eggs served in a red wine sauce and garnished with fried garlic-rubbed bread. The name of the sauce, including the bread garnish, was codified by the chef and food writer Auguste Escoffier in 1928. The name’s origin is debatable: Among other possibilities, it may derive from the Latin moretum, a Roman sauce mentioned by Ovid (only quite different), or from the archaic adjective moret, meaning “dark”. The eggs can be poached in the wine before the sauce is made, and kept warm in a bowl of salted warm water. Select a Mâcon red or Beaujolais wine to make the sauce and accompany the dish.

Make the boiled eggs:

Alternatively, poach the eggs:

Make the meurette sauce:

Make the fried bread:

Recipe from Classic French Recipes by Ginette Mathiot, $80, published by Phaidon, available March 21.