French Burgundy Eggs (Oeufs en Meurette)

This traditional dish from the Burgundy region of France brings rich, bourguignon flavour to your weeknight supper or weekend brunch.

Eggs and wine? This dish might get your back up - just hear me out. I used to teach this dish as part of my French cookery courses, particularly because it’s a good way to shake people up when it comes to French cuisine. It’s not always about ‘boeuf bourgignon’ or ‘coq au vin’ - the traditional and predictable favourites - sometimes French cuisine will surprise you with some unique regional dishes that deserve some spotlight now and again. This is one of them: oeufs en meurette. This is a Burgundy dish - similar in origin to boeuf bourgigon actually - but this dish puts eggs at the star of the show. Their pedestal: toasted bread smeared with garlic, and their prize-given sash is a rich, silky red wine sauce flavoured with bacon and mushrooms and coloured a deep, ghoulish purple - a particular shade of purple that’s only achieved by using a Burgundy French wine, allegedly. You could make this with any dry red wine, which gets backing support from fresh aromatics, bay thyme and of course, butter. It’s a fabulous dish, do give it a try as a supper or a hard-hitting breakfast. Let’s go!